Dead By Eclipse
by Sheol
Summary: Sequel to Dead By Dawn. Uchihacest. I felt Itachi move over me, like ice melting over my skin, "Otouto, I have waited so long to..." I felt his breath breathe a new life over me, as I waited eagerly for those long awaited three words to leave his lips.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto.

A/N: I thought over whether or not to write this sequel. I decided to go ahead with it, and I am very eager and very TERRIFIED of screwing this story up. So to let you know ahead of time, if I feel at any time I am screwing up the original story, I am going to bail this sequel so fast it will make your head spin.

The main story line is basically the same as in the original story, which is the only reason I am willing to write this sequel. It is about unattainable love. No, this is not an action story, so if you want action (other than male sex) I suggest you look elsewhere. The story is written through Sasuke's point of view.

By the way, if you did not read Dead By Dawn... this may not make much sense to you. So go read that one first, alright. This is a sequel after all.

And here it is. The sequel I thought would never come.

Dead By Eclipse

_A look of shock washed over my face, followed by a sharp pain shooting through my heart which soon consumed it. I felt like a fool again, a fool for believing Itachi could ever love me. I felt his fingers harshly grip my chin bruising it as I was jerked up to meet his cold gaze again. And then there it was, a darkening flash through his crimson eyes, the flash that I always mistook for warmth, but I can see now that it is not. It is a flash of anything but warmth or love or affection. And then it was gone, to be replaced by the still blood that I have come to known._

_How naive, how foolish, how __**weak.**__ Love? Hmph. No, his blood cold eyes gripped me in my place with the darkened gaze of his possession, his desire to hold what should never be his._

_But perhaps, even physical love that is so cold is desirable when placed next to alone. For watching his retreating form, knowing once again I would be left with no one, I followed him. And when placed between feeling loved and loyalty to friends, I betrayed Naruto. Because even lies are sweet when whispered like a lover, and affection is affection and attention is attention, and when you close your eyes in the dark, all sanity is lost when the one you love is lying next to you. And if it had meant blindness to look at aniki's beauty, I would have looked._

_And because I love him. With all of my hate for him, I love him. I betrayed Konoha for his love, for the never ending desire to feel his affection, to have and hold his love, and for just a moment be the center of his attention and quench this jelousy. _

_And to Itachi I gave all my love, and to myself all my hate. Hatred for not being worthy of my clans love, for my fathers approval. And all my love to Itachi, who was the only one to give the attention, the attention which made me want only more. And there is no other whose love I have desired like Itachi's._

_But Itachi's love is unattainable..._

_And to love Itachi is the slowest form of suicide..._

_And I could feel myself slowly die under his gaze, starving for every drop of his love, as I danced like his puppet to please him, begging for his attention to be enough, wanting just a little bit more, please,... aniki, I need your love, end this slow suicide. Can't you see?..._

_**What a scourge is laid upon your hate, **_

_**That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love...**_

_**... aniki?...**_

Chapter 1- Alone

I rolled over groggy as sunlight burned my eyes through my lids into a deep smoldering red. I moaned a bit as I fisted the covers up under my chin. I did not want to wake. I was having such a wonderful dream. A dream where mother was alive and father was well... where Itachi was still my aniki.

The sun burned my lids further deepening the redness beneath them. Slowly, the red hot ash molded, spun, until it formed the three blackened pits of the tsukuyomi. And there it was, Itachi's red eyes, watching me even in my sleep, burning deep into my sanity.

I shot up in bed fast, gasping for breath. I could feel my heart beat out of my chest, racing out of control, as newly formed sweat dripped off my face.

I sucked in a few calming breaths as I wiped the sweat briskly from my face. So now, even in my dreams his eyes will haunt me? Before it was nightmares of my clans murder, nightmares of what I lost. But now... It is just his eyes, in the shadows or in the light, they are always there _watching_ me.

I rose from the bed and walked to the closet trying carefully to maintain my calm demeanor. I almost laughed at this. It is not like he is really watching me, so does it really matter? I felt a chill run up my spine. He is not watching me.

I opened the closet to find some silk kimonos hanging in its presence. I narrowed my eyes. _He wouldn't._ I tore through the kimonos carelessly throwing them to the floor. _It's not here._ I felt a hot rage begin to boil in my belly. I ran to the chester drawer and began frantically throwing the drawers out on the ground tearing through its contents in a desperate fury.

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Itachi sat at the dining table legs crossed and arms propped behind his head. He absently motioned his crossed foot in the air as if he was drawing circles with it. Kisame stood before the stove flipping eggs and bacon in the skillet, humming pleasantly at the hissing sound brought forth from the grease.

"I just love the smell of burning flesh in the morning, right Itachi." Kisame growled as he watched intently at the sizzling meat.

Itachi turned in an uninterested gaze to the back of Kisame's head. He motioned his foot in another circle as if waving off the conversation.

"So did you get word on another mission, or are we just suppose to sit around doing nothing." Kisame moreso stated than asked.

Itachi let the question hang in the air still eyeing the back of Kisame's head. To other's it would look as if he was burning holes into it, yet his body hung loosely in a disinterested manner.

"No." Itachi paused, and added as an afterthought. "Your breakfast is unhealthy."

Kisame looked over his shoulder grinning from ear to ear as he motioned to the fruit in the basket with his head. "And yours lacks substance. How are you going to train on foilage, Itachi."

Itachi's eyes darkened as he met Kisame's black eyes. Kisame stopped his motion in midflip as he felt his heart freeze in his chest. His throat tightened like a noose was dropped around it. Time appeared to stop, as the sizzling of the grease filled the room hissing in dissatisfaction. Kisame felt his muscles tighten under Itachi's bloodied gaze as he just sat there with his arms behind his head _looking_ at him. And Kisame knew his looks could kill.

The hissing filled his ears edging off the silence in an eerie way, as if a thousand hells were screaming in his ear waiting for Kisame to join them in the tsukuyami. Kisame laughed lightly, feeling the odd presence in his throat helping to ward off the tightness.

"Do I amuse you, Kisame." Itachi stated in a deadly calm manner.

Kisame knew better than to answer. It was a death question. Yes would be a suicidal answer for obvious reasons, but to answer no would give rise to anther question- then why are you laughing.

Kisame turned his head back around, breaking the deadly gaze between their eyes. He could have sworn he felt a pain behind his black eyes from the force of the gaze. He began flipping the eggs again, but he could still feel Itachi's eyes borring through his skull.

"Where is it!" My voice broke through the tension of the room as if there was none.

"Where is what." Kisame asked the boy, relieved by the newly found distraction.

"My shirt!" I hissed, glaring at Itachi who was still staring at the back of his partner's head.

Silence filled the room yet again, as the grease hissed through it. I stared at Itachi waiting impatiently for an answer. He did not even acknowledge, not with an answer or a look. He just stared at his partner.

"How should I know." Kisame answered with a huff with his back to me.

"I wasn't asking you. I was asking _him._" I spat him as venemously as I could. I paused for a second, waiting for him to turn, to answer, to do _anything_. It was frustrating how he just sat there, as calm as ever. "Answer me!" I shouted in a rage.

"Silence." Itachi spoke in a fluid, calm manner. But his voice was oddly low, and I caught the danger in it.

I stood there, watching my brother, as it seemed nothing and everything was happening. Itachi slowly shifted, as he turned in his chair to face me bringing his arms out from behind his head. He began to finger the air off handedly with one arm, while the other hung loosely over it's side. I could see his deep, red eyes begin to contemplate... and I knew instantly no good could come of this.

"You want your shirt." Itachi stated calmly.

I sucked in hard, and slowly released it. It's no use yelling. Itachi will only torment me further. I counted back from ten as I relaxed every fiber in my body.

"You know I do." I spat. I couldn't help it. With as calm as I tried to remain, I was angry.

Itachi knows how important the shirt is to me. It bears the emblem of our clan on it. The shirt is one of the last remnants of my family.

Itachi fingered the air further, as his eyes lightened a bit. They almost seemed to laugh at me, but Itachi never laughs. So this is impossible. "How much."

"What?" I hissed.

"How much do you want it." He spoke slowly.

I could feel my hands ball into fists as every muscle in my body retightened in coiled rage. First, Itachi tricks me into betraying my village. Then, he gets me banned from my home as a criminal. And as a final kick to my ribs, he manipulates me into allowing him to keep me, like some sort of pet for him to play with.

"What do you want Itachi." I asked as menacingly as I could.

Another pause. I watched as his bloodied eyes traveled up and down my lithe form. I felt my face go red. The clothes he left for me in my room were humiliating and perverse. The kimono I now wear is silver with embroidered koi fish the deepest shade of red swimming up the right side of it along its entire lenght. The collar of it is far too wide and hangs loosely over my shoulders revealing their milk white color. The sleeves are long and wide, partially covering my hands, but the bottom of the kimono ends near the top third of my thigh revealing almost all of my pale hairless legs. The kimono is far too form fitting to be a guys kimono, as it clings to every curve of my body. I knew it was a girls kimono- all the kimonos were... and I felt every thread of rage flush my exposed skin as his eyes drank in every bit of this.

I waited for his response, as his eyes traveled back up my skin to meet my glare. His eyes slowly faded to disinterest. Then he tilted his head and waved his hand at me, as if shooing away a pesky fly.

I stared at him in disbelief. First he takes my clan's symbol from me, then he dresses me like a girl, and now this! I was beginning to seriously rethink my decision to follow him. Perhaps prison would be better.

Kisame slowly turned around, the curiosity of the silence beckoning him. He looked quickly from Itachi to me, surprise coming over his face, as a deep cuckle began in the back of his throat, followed by a fully brisk laugh that stopped as suddenly as it began.

"Very nice, Sasuke-chan. How much?" Kisame held out his hand rubbing his fingers together in the money sign.

My eyes widened in shock, followed by a deep scarlet red fanning across my face even further. I could see the amusement return to Itachi's eyes from the joke which only made it worse. I quickly turned and stormed out the room slamming the dining room door behind me. I crossed the small living room and left through the front door stopping at the edge of the wooden porch.

I stared out deep into the dense forest. There were no trails linking this small two bedroom cabin to any other form of life. This cabin was tucked deep inside the side of a mountain, literally. I was reminded daily by the smell of old and the tinkling of water in the walls. The porch stretched out meet the opening of the mouth of the cave the house sat in. Thick foilage blocked the porch from outsiders.

I sighed, as the sound of water and birds filled my ear. I sat down in front of the vines and leaves that shielded me from the world, and hugged my knees tightly. Why, I had to wonder, why would Itachi give me such freedom. I could run right now and he would never find me.

I laughed quietly to myself. Freedom. I never felt more like a prisoner in all my life. I felt a pounding headache come one as I sqeezed my eyes shut and tried desperately to clear my head. A part of me wanted to move as far away from Itachi as possible, while the other part wished he would walk through the front door and wrap his arms around me... like my aniki would...

_I released the shuriken from my hand and listened eagerly as it thudded into wood. I felt excitement bubble beneath me. Aniki was actually training with me. Just like he had always promised! I waited for his response, and felt a small bit of annoyance at the quiet that greeted me. I removed the blindfold from my eyes and looked to my side where he stood._

_"Aniki." I huffed, and stared in shock at his absence. Where did he go? He promised me!_

_I looked around desperately only to see him standing a few yards away leaning over the pond. I huffed again and ran up to where he sat._

_"Aniki! You promised to help me train!" I whined as my large eight year old eyes began to tear up. "Why did you leave me!"_

_Itachi looked from the clear undistrubed water over to meet my eyes. He looked at my reddened face, my teary eyes, and the blindfold that sat atop my head. He laid his large hand down over my hair and slowly roughled it. I squinched my nose and tried my hardest to glare at him._

_"A promise is a promise, aniki!" I pouted._

_"I suppose it is." Itachi hummed._

_I watched my aniki, as he slowly leaned forward until his lips dangled just inches from mine. I could feel his warm breath brush over my face gently with each exhale, as I felt my lungs suck in my breath and hold it fast. I watched aniki's eyes as they darkened considerably, staring deep into mine with intent. His hand slid to the back of my head and gripped it hard._

_And I loved these moments, reserved only for me. Where all of his attention focused on me, where all of his love was for me..._

_"Let me make amends." I whispered into me._

_"Itachi! Itachi!" Mother called out. I looked over to see her coming through the trees as I felt aniki's warmth quickly leave me. Her eyes settled on us. "There you are. Father wants you Itachi, okay sweetie."_

_I felt eagerness swell inside me. "And me too!" I chirped._

_Mother's eyes moved to me. "Oh, just stay and work on your shuriken sweetie." Mother said in such a loving manner._

_But it left me feeling cold..._

I opened my eyes. It now seemed I always dreamed while awake. About the past. About what should have been. I gripped my knees tighter to my chest, clutching them like my lifeline, as if all reality depended on it.

Cause this is not a dream, and this pain I feel as my nails dig into my flesh is proof of it.

"Sasuke." A smooth velvet voice greeted me from behind.

I felt a jolt shoot through my heart, followed by a flutter in my chest. Itachi came for me...

Itachi came for me, ...not my aniki.

I gripped my knees even tighter and watched, as my thin fingers burrowed into my flesh, and small red beads formed along my nail base. It felt soothing, the dull pain that began to beat with my pulse beneath my grip... It felt _alive._

"What do you want." I whispered, the malice in my voice all but gone as I watched the red form a vein down my leg as it slowly left my body.

Silence greeted as always. And I did not expect him to answer. I could wait outside here for eternity and never receive an answer.

I heard a flutter in the air and felt a gust move past my head, as my shirt landed in front of me. I stared at it for a moment in disbelief. Is he really giving it back? Slowly, I reached my hand out to grasp the shirt and lifted it. It's existence stood there before me, with it's blue short sleeves and high collar neck. I turned it around eager to see the clan's insignia on the back... and I stared, watching fate laugh at me once again.

In place of the insignia was nothing. A hole, where Itachi had ripped it out. I watched the shirt shake in front of me, and slowly realized it was me in fact who was shaking.

"Why? Why did you take it from me?" I wanted to scream it, to fill the words with hatred and every shred of torment that Itachi had filled me with. But the truth is, the words were weak and shaky as I am, and the weakness of it all disgusted me.

"Because you are mine."

I jumped at the closeness of his voice, as his warm breath graced across my neck. I turned quickly to face him, and I met his eyes which hung directly in front of my face. His crimson eyes, dripping with every drop of my clan's blood, hanging before me like two perfect red moons. I could feel his every exhale blowing his heat across my face, as my cheeks slowly reddened from the heat... but not out of love or of lust, but pure undeniable rage. I could still feel myself tremble from it, as every muscle sqeezed onto the rage and released it, and then sqeezed it tight again.

"I do not belong to you, Itachi. Unlike you, I am still a Uchiha." I said slowly, trying desperately to keep it from shaking, to fill it with every ounce of my strength.

He stared deep into my eyes, burrying them deep into my mind where they would arise again at night and invade my dreams. I felt a pain shoot through my jaw, and slowly realized he was gripping my chin bruising my milk white skin. I felt my heart begin to beat out of my chest, as a pulse began to thread rapidly beneath his grip where there should not even be one. But it was now beating throughout my skin, threatening to rip out of my body. Because by the time this is over, he will know he does not own me.

"What Uchiha." He breathed like silk over my skin, flushing it further.

I swung my fist up eager to bury it into that calm face of his. That face that never falters or changes, that shows no weakness or love or anything human. His hand grasped my fist easily, and squeezed it hard. I felt my bones bend beneath his grasp, threatening to break, as he pushed me quickly with my chin onto my back, sliding over me in a fluid motion.

And yet his face did not change. There was no hint of anger or rage on his face, just the same steady blood red eyes that beat with every stolen soul of my clan. I began to swing my other fist at him, but quickly realized his elbow rested on that arm effectively immobilizing it.

And then I froze, realizing I was once again trapped beneath him. I felt my breath quicken as the excitement of the unknown began to beat through my body, electrifying every fiber with the new adrenaline.

Itachi released my chin, then fingered a line along the side of my jaw, tracing it with his silky smooth skin.

"Give me back _my_ clan's crest." I demanded, and for once I was satisfied with the force of the words.

Itachi continued to slowly trace a thin line down my neck, as he began to ghost the soft nape of it at the base. I felt a chill slide up my spine, as his fingers danced ice over my vulnerable shoulders. The cold hands slid around to my back, as they massaged a numbing chill into the small of my back, pulling our pelvises up to greet one another. I felt his hardness dig into my groin, and was shocked to feel mine dig back into him.

My face blushed a deep red as the pleasure shot through me from the contact. I tried my hardest to supress a hiss, but Itachi's sharp ears must have caught it for a look of satisfaction shown though them. He lowered his head until his lip rested on mine, and I felt as his icy kiss brushed over my heated lips slowly forming the words...

"Mine."

And his blood eyes burned like the moon deep into mine, as I followed his lips every move with mine feeling the pleasure of his attention sicken me. The darkened eyes of possession holding me. These arms that once symbolized security gripping me like a prison. I squeezed my eyes shut to block out his, as I felt the need burn forward, and I wanted it...

I wanted every ounce of his love. To pretend those darkened eyes held love.

I began to kiss back with a fever, pressing deeply into his kiss feeling every inch of those lips slide over mine as his tongue invaded my mouth. Yes, I had his attention now. It was all mine. I arched myself into him expecting to get a pleasurable grunt, but none was given. I hardened my kiss as I began to rock my hips into his, enjoying the pleasurable jolt that shot up my spine settling a new warmth into my stomach. A new taste began to mix with Itachi's in my mouth, as bitter salt began to tinge the edges of what was Itachi...

And just as quickly as Itachi gave it, I felt his body leave mine as the cool air greeted the absence.

I opened my eyes expecting to see flushed pale skin, misty eyes, and a parted mouth... but Itachi's face was as calm as ever. His skin was the same ghostly white, and eyes the same cold blood. I felt a sense of shame enter me, as I felt foolish again. Itachi's fingers danced over my face gently brushing it. The same fingers dangled infront of my eyes, glistening with tears.

"Feeling nostalgic, Otouto."

I glared at him and attempted to swat his arm away, but in one quick motion he brought it out of my reach. He brought it to his mouth and past his dark red lips as he drank my tears, slowly taking them in as he ran his tongue over his fingers. Itachi stood as if nothing had happened, as if there was no moment between us, and moved towards the door calmly.

I sat as I watched in disbelief. Does this even mean anything to him? Does he not feel anything? I swallowed deeply into the pit of my stomach as my eyes ghosted to the ground staring at his retreating shadow. I hated when he toyed with my emotions. And I hated it even more when he made me feel.

And I wanted so desperately to make him feel.

"Itachi."

I heard his footsteps stop before the door, it partially opened and greeting him. I looked up to see his head partially turned, eyeing me over his shoulders.

"Why do you want me here."

And I sat here, the filth that I had become, scurrying for the love from my clan's end.

"I tire repeating myself Otouto."

Itachi turned his head towards the door as he began to move through it.

"You are mine now."

But you are not mine, Itachi... You never will be. For you are unattainable, something I can never have. And your love, it poisons me. It fills my veins with venom every time we touch.

How foolish of me again, speaking of him like he gives me love. So what is it that poisons me then? Is it his skin? Is mere existence that fills me with a desire I should not have? Or is it his eyes? I thought of those deadly eyes. Yes it must be his eyes.

So then what of it. What of this venom that leaves me sitting hear feeling filthy and old. What can I do with this new sickness that poisons my mind and turns my family in their graves. I thought of mother and father watching from heaven, watching me slide beneath my brother, and I heaved leaning over the wooden floor gripping it desperately for a new reality, as I dug my nails into its hard form.

And I watched a darkened spot hit the wood and sink into it, as another followed. Am I really still crying. Am I really that weak?

I stared at the floor, my mind spinning with questions which Itachi seemed not to care to answer. And one word screamed through my mind...

_**Alone...**_

A/N: I am not sure if this chapter is any good, but I am going somewheres with this story. I'm just not sure where yet. Let me know if it is any good though. Please review!!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: nope, don't own naruto... damn it pout

A/N: Breathes sigh of relief... that's good. I was worried I had screwed up that first chapter. Okay, I think I decided on a story line. And I'm beginning to get the feeling this story is gonna be longer than I expected. I was thinking six chapters like Dead By Dawn, but I just don't think I'll be able to fit it all in there. lol.

And a thankyou to those who reviewed the first chapter. I know this is starting off kind of gentle and lightly humorous... but I don't write comedy. So I must warn you this is my last even slightly funny chapter. This rest is pure angst and hopefully suspense cause that is what I am going for.

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I drove my bruised hand into the tree stump hard. I could hear Itachi and Kisame training in the distance. _Itachi..._ I drove the next punch in even harder. I watched fixated on how the white flesh bruised to a deep blackened blue before my eyes. Another punch. Tiny rivelets of blood seeped between my knuckles which I had neglected to wrap.

I could feel that high coming on. That elated feeling brought on only by the possibility of injury. I brought my fist up to my mouth and slowly licked the blood off of my knuckles, a sharp copper taste danced on my tongue... proof that I am still here.

Chapter 2- Familiar Eyes

I hung the last piece of paper up on the wall, successfully filling the entire bedroom wall with the white pieces of paper. I fingered the edges of the paper making sure they would stick. That's right, stick. I did not use tacks or tape, but instead used the sticky substance that can be easily pulled from the wall without leaving damage. I thought of leaving little holes littering the wall or rips in the wooden walls, and the satisfaction welled up inside of me at just thinking about the _look_ on Itachi's face... And then I remembered that Itachi does not have looks on his face, and I thought of Itachi slamming me against the damaged walls and what he would do to me... and the notion that I could not come up with a punishment deterred me from even trying.

I took a step back to admire my work. Drawn on every piece of paper was the Uchiha clan's symbol giving the room the appearance that it was tiled with the insignia. I felt a deep sense of satisfaction at my work. _His, right? That'll show the smug bastard. Unlike him, I am still a Uchiha. I still belong to my __**clan**__, not him!_

A yawn came over me as I stretched my tired muscles out above my head. I looked over at the clock. It was almost midnight. Surprised, I blinked a few times. Yes, the clock definitely read 11:55. I could only think of a few other times I had stayed up that late. After the clans massacre and...

My mind drifted off at the memory of Naruto and how I betrayed him. I had stayed up all night that time. And the guilt still shook me.

I sighed and shook my head as if the motion would shake out the memories. I pulled off the silver and red kimono, the sweat of the day's training following the fabric, leaving only my black boxers on that I had worn underneath. A small thought crossed my mind to hide the boxers in case Itachi decided on woman's underwear as well.

"No, he wouldn't." I chuckled, glancing over at the top drawer. I paused, then quickly began shoving all my boxers under the bed.

I snuggled under the down covers and leaned over to turn out the light, taking one last glance at my art work, then pulled the lamp string. I did not realize how exhausted I was until I fully laid down. The fatigue washed over me, pulling me down deeper into the bed. I thought briefly on this morning, the shirt, Kisame's crude joke. The anger stirred me slightly from my dozing. I took a deep breath and exhaled letting the fatigue push me into a deep sleep.

It was then I felt a pressure on my chest that was quickly relieved, followed by a shift in weight next to me. My eyes flung open and I jerked the lamp on. Lying in the bed next to me was Itachi with arms folded resting on his chest and eyes closed. My mouth dropped open a bit as my eyes did a quick survey of his perfectly chiseled chest and well toned abs... he was only wearing black boxers.

I shook my head violently scolding myself under my breath for even looking at him like that. Ever since that incident a week ago... I turned back to Itachi, who was still lying there as if this was natural.

"What are you doing in my room?!" I shouted.

I just couldn't believe it. After everything, he has the nerve to come sleep in MY room! I mentally punched him and shook his shoulders while screaming 'what is the matter with you!' I looked to the clock. It was now exactly midnight, then I looked over at Itachi who still had not even flinched. I let out an exhasterbated sigh.

"Answer me! I know you are not asleep!!" I almost screamed.

His silence was only fueling my rage. I could feel my heart beat begin to pick up as the anger pumped beneath my skin. My eyes locked on him, watching for the slightest movement, as my jaw locked tight straining my face muscles. It was then that Itachi decided to open his eyes and calmly turn to look at me.

I could feel my heart beat quicken even further, as it raced in a thready manner across my entire body. I stared at his eyes, my eyes going even wider. But it was no longer in anger, and I could feel every ounce of rage wash out of me with just his eyes... his deep coal black eyes- my aniki's eyes, just like I remembered them.

"Quiet, Otouto." He said in his silky, smooth voice.

I blinked a few times. "You are in my room." It was the calmest I had spoken to him in years.

"This is my room. I sleep here." His expression remained unmoved, as his calm voice flowed out to greet me.

I furrowed my brows a bit at this and narrowed my eyes, as if calling him a liar with looks alone. "I have slept in here for a week. Can't you go sleep wherever you've been sleeping."

"I am." Came the steady, even reply. Itachi turned his face away in disinterest and looked at the ceiling instead.

I stared at him a moment longer. Did Itachi really just answer me that quickly? It was then that the reality hit me. Of course, where did I think Itachi was sleeping in a two bedroom apartment. Itachi has always went to bed after me and yet somehow manages to wake up before me. It would make sense that I never saw him until now.

"Otouto." I met Itachi's brown eyes at the name, his face still motionless and calm. He lifted up one hand smoothly, and waved the light away in an elegant motion.

The motion did not register at first. I could not tear away from those familiar onyx eyes. Itachi kept hold of the gaze, not wavering even the slightest in his expression. But I could feel my breath quicken with every second our gaze remained locked. My muscles relaxed beneath the lost eyes of my aniki, and I felt the urge to crawl further into the bed and nestle next to his chest. And my aniki would take me into those safe arms, just like when I was younger.

"What is it." Itachi stated more than asked in his even tone.

"..." I tore my gaze away, and felt a familiar emotion begin to rise as I did. I reached over and tugged on the lamp string that I had previously assaulted, and let the dark greet me. "Nothing." I whispered as I laid down with my back to him.

And with that, the darkness took me.

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_"Aniki! That tickles!" I squeeled, as I my five year old body tried desperately to wiggled out of his grip._

_The covers of aniki's bed twisted around my body, trapping me further in his grasp. Aniki's fingers danced over my sides, my stomach, assaulting me wherever it could find bare skin._

_"That would be the point." Came the smooth reply._

_I giggled some more as my arms wrapped protectively around my sides. I stared up into his face. Even in all this commotion, his face remained unchaged, unaffected. It was still stoic and calm. His eyes just as blank. I thought at times that perhaps my aniki was like a doll, beautiful and unchanging._

_A flash of mischief went through mine, and I impulsively reached up beneath his shirt. My little fingers felt up his toned, flawless abdomen until they began dancing across the skin. My eyes lit up as I bit down on my cherry red lip and began giggling lightly._

_My aniki stared at my antic, face as still as ever with no sign I had effected him. My fingers stopped dancing over his abdomen as my bottom lip jutted out in a pout. My large brown eyes began glistening with tears and a small whimper escaped me._

_"But aniki! I wanted to make you laugh too!" I whined. "Why can't I make you feel what I feel?"_

_It was then that a flash went through aniki's eyes darkening them considerably, and just as quickly as the flash came, it left, leaving no trace it had ever existed. Aniki slid his hands beneath the shirt and covered mine. His dark eyes locked with my questioning ones, as he slowly began to slide my small soft hands up his hard muscles until they covered his heart._

_I stared into his emotionless eyes that had stolen mine into an unbreakable hold. I felt his heart beat slow, hard beneath my small fingers. And those dark eyes, those familiar dark eyes that I entrusted my hands to. I stared back in my innocence, questioning him on what to do next._

_It was then that aniki whispered low in a smooth voice._

_"Show me what you feel, Otouto."_

I woke quickly feeling the hot morning light through the window. I cursed lightly... it was a cave after all, where was this damn light coming from every morning. I shoved the blankets off of me and went to the window which I slid open and stuck my head out. I saw rocks slick with algae, and water trickling down the sides of the rock glistening with light. I followed the stones upward until my eyes rested on a distant, small hole through which light was flowing at the top of the cave. It was a very small hole, and I could not see anything through it, but it was enough to filter in bothersome light.

I sighed and shut the window, and just stood there for what seemed like hours. I could still feel those dark eyes on me, commanding my gaze in a way only he could...

Kisame stood infront of the stove, flipping his usual bacon and eggs. He licked his lips in anticipation watching as the flesh was slowly seared into perfection.

Kisame chuckled, "So Itachi, how are you going to torment your brother today?"

Itachi leaned back in the kitchen chair as he kicked his feet up on the table. He folded his arms infront of him as he loosely dangled his arms over the side of the chair. His face remained still, as if no one had even asked him a question to think on, but his eyes danced with contemplation and ideas.

I thought about those dark eyes, and what I would give to have those familiar eyes on me again. I thought of what it would feel like to have him hold that strong gaze with me like when I was young, and to speak to me in that low, silky smooth voice... that voice that held no emotion and yet reverberated through me like an uncontrolled tsunami.

Itachi tapped the bottom legs of the chair in an offhanded manner while leaving his arms to dangle free. "My Otouto... I decided on his boxers..."

I leaned beneath the bed and reached for my boxers, only to find nothing. I blinked and sighed. I knew he was going to do this, and I muttered every curse on his name as I walked to the top chester drawer.

Kisame chuckled deeply as he looked over his shoulder. "You bought him girl's underwear too Itachi? Show me." Kisame's eyes flashed with mischief.

Itachi looked up to meet his dark eyes with his crimson ones. "Not quite." He said calmly.

I stared down at the empty top drawer with wide eyes. I glanced from the short, skimpy kimonos back to the empty drawer, and then back to the kimonos. "No... ITACHI!!"

I gripped the drawer in a deadly manner sucking in the air greedily and the blowing it back out. Those eyes, those eyes, I am going to rip them out! It was then that I noticed a slight breeze...

"He didn't." I muttered, as I slowly looked downward.

"You took _all_ of his boxers!" Kisame laughed histerically. "Even the ones he had on!"

Itachi nodded his head in a slight manner, barely dipping it, as he kept his calm gaze fixed on Kisame. His elbows now rested on the arms of the chair with his hands folded in front of his face.

"That is too delicious." Kisame chuckled. His eyes flashed wickedly. "I wonder how short his kimono will be today."

Kisame stopped laughing abruptly as I walked into the room. I saw both of them turn to face me. Kisame's amusement was apparent, while Itachi's face remained calm... but the amusement shone in his eyes.

I stood there with my face red with anger and fists gripped at my sides. I had chosen the longest kimono that was in the closet- It ended at mid thigh. The kimono was black with long wide sleeves and a high collar. It had elaborate purple spider webs that crawled down the sleeves only.

I mowed over several choice words in my head, but in the end decided to not even acknowledge what he had done. I walked to the table, Itachi's eyes following me the entire way, as I sat perpendicular to him. Itachi stared at me, as I stared at the surface of the table refusing to even meet his eyes.

Kisame looked me over for a moment longer. "Hmph." Then turned to tend to his eggs and bacon. "Hey kid, you want any?"

"... yeah, sure." I muttered.

Kisame glanced over his shoulder. "Your brother has no manners Itachi."

Itachi remained silent, watching me closely with that same calm intent. I glanced up at Kisame. Manners?...

"Thanks." I muttered.

Kisame chuckled lightly as he turned back to his food.

"Stop staring Itachi. It's rude." I was satisfied with how calm my words came out.

I caught Kisame freeze in midflip in front of the stove. I gave Kisame and odd look, as his arm fidgetted at little before it found the egg again to give it a proper flip. I looked over at my brother whose eyes had turned a deeper shade of blood. I matched his gaze with my own glare.

"Would you prefer these eyes, Otouto." Itachi said smoothly, as he slowly blinked and the blood disappeared into a deep black pit of familiar.

I felt my breath catch in my throat, as I stared into those smooth black stones. His face was as smooth and calm as I remembered, unchanging just like a doll, with that porcelain skin. I felt my body tremble beneath that gaze, as my heart raced in the back of my throat. I swallowed hard to ease the pressure back down into my chest.

I stood suddenly, with Itachi following my gaze upward. "You like your aniki's eyes, Otouto." Itachi said in a steady, silky voice.

I glared at Itachi, as I felt tears sting the back of my eyes. "I hate you."

I meant it to come out as a yell, but it was more of a spiteful whisper, as I ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs into the bedroom. I slammed the door harshly and threw myself on my bed.

It was menacing, like some sort of apparition of something I lost long ago, and yet never really had. I rolled onto my back and was instantly surrounded by my clans insignia, like a thousand fans watching me with firey eyes, accusing me of my treason to my blood. I shivered deep inside and felt a sickness washing over me.

My eyes slipped over to the mirror facing the bed, and there I lied. My silky black kimono riding my thighs like a whore. Itachi must be enjoying this, dressing me up like his personal pet. I clenched the sheets hard as the rage returned to me, this undying rage that I cannot seem to swallow down enough just to live.

"No... this is enough." I whispered venemously.

I went to the chester drawer and dug through it. Of course, Itachi had the only male clothes in all the room. I held out the black see through shirt and swallowed hard. The thought of having him so close to my skin made my stomach wrench, but there was no way I was wearing _this._

Within seconds I stood before the mirror, Itachi's clothes hanging loosely from my small frame. The pants were rolled at the bottom and held to me thanks to a belt which I had to force a new hole into. The shirt sleeve came down a little past my elbow, and the collar hung absently off of one shoulder. This would have to do.

As I scribbled a note on a blank piece of paper on the dresser, I could smell Itachi invading my senses. The mere scent brought back memories of long lost happiness, peace and security. I closed my eyes as I felt a tear land next to my fingers on the paper.

_'You are mine'..._

_No Itachi,... you forfeited that right long ago._

And it is not the humiliating dress or missing underwear- the destruction of my clans insignia, their last remaining proof of existence, that hurt the worst- even that is not fueling what I am about to do.

_'Aniki, why did you leave me?'_

As I laid down the pencil, and everything that is Itachi seized my senses... I felt my heart wrench at the apparition that would not release its grip on my sanity. And if it does release, it would be his intoxicating smell that drives me insane. And as I breathed it in, I felt my heart wrench...

_... Killing me gently..._

Kisame shoved a plate of eggs and bacon where Sasuke was at one point sitting, then sat across from Itachi.

"With as funny as this is Itachi, perhaps you should ease up for today." Kisame chuckled lightly before continuing. "I thought the kid was going to cry."

Itachi swallowed the bite of his fruit before responding in a cold, even tone. "Trivial."

Itachi calmly met Kisame's eyes in a hard, purposeful gaze, "This is necessary."

_... Killing me softly... with your eyes..._

Kisame glanced up from his plate as he swallowed his first bite of bacon, humming in satisfaction. "What about when he breaks."

Itachi remained silent, as his still, blood eyes burned into Kisame's black ones. Itachi spoke in a deadly still voice, unmoving and laced with ice.

"Extirpate."

_... with my love... and your lack thereof... _

A/N: If I had not looked it up, I would be all 'what the fuck is extirpate?' I'm not trying to whip out big words on you guys, but I just did not like the way the other words sounded in place of it... but this one sounded nice here.

So here is the definition.

Extirpate- to pull up by the root; to destroy completely

Please review and let me know what you think. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Oo I missed that one! Sorry. My Microsoft Word is not compatible with . I'm not really sure if all you guys have that problem, but at any rate, I have to type my fanfics on wordpad. As all of you know, wordpad does not have spell check so I have to do my spell checks with the human eye. Well, I missed this one, and it is a pretty big misspelling,... big enough for me to point out for anyone that's wondering, so here's the correction:

Exhasterbated is suppose to be exasperated. A thanks to Starsurfer for pointing that out to me.

Sasuke: How the hell did you miss that Sheol?

Sheol: ...

Sasuke: It's like missing a hippo in your house.

Sheol: ... shut up.

Sasuke: Well, aren't you gonna go back and fix it.

Sheol: NO!! The last time I did I accidentally deleted the whole chapter and.. I'm.. sort of computer illiterate. Heh. sweat drops. Now on with the story!

Sheol: I would also like to thank everyone for their reviews. :)

Sasuke: Dobe...

Definitions:

Sedentary- not active

Bustled- noisy, energetic activity

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Chapter 3- Let It Begin

I quietly inched towards the stair well pressing my back against the wall hard. I cringed as I felt the unfinished wood of the cabin scratch my back through the thin material of the shirt. I peered out the stair well down the stairs. The living room was dimly lit by a lamp near the door to the kitchen. I could see shadows flickering out into the living room through the door. I slowly trailed my eyes across the room to the front door to my potential freedom.

_I looked to the front door, then back to the underbrush that hid the porch from view. Kisame stood near the underbrush watching me with amusement, his shark like teeth casting a strange terror to his smile._

_"What's the matter kid. Scared?" Kisame chuckled._

_I looked back to Itachi who had begun to walk towards the front door. I eyed him suspiciously. He had been acting strange since we left Konoha... Not to say he was not himself, but..._

_"Aren't you going to tie me up or lock me in a room?" I continued to eye him, watching for any sudden movements._

_Itachi stopped, and turned his head slowly to reveal a single bloodied eye. I felt my heart quicken as he held me in his gaze... and I could feel the familiar discontent seep across the porch to me. It has been just like this, ever since..._

_"You like bondage, Otouto." Itachi stated, the amusement dancing in his eye._

_But why would Itachi want me here if he has discontent for me? Kisame chuckled, I turned around sharply to glare at him, a light red blush forming on my cheeks._

_"I don't think your brother gets it, Itachi." Kisame chuckled. His smile widened until it appeared his teeth had become deadly knives consuming their inner cavern. It was then that I decided he wasn't human, for no human mouth could be so deadly. "Let me lock him up. I want to see which he prefers."_

_"Otouto..." I jumped as my brothers hot breath flowed across the nape of my neck, chilling my skin as the cool cave air rushed to reclaim it. As he spoke the next words, I could feel the blood against my skin ice as his cold blood eyes burned their winter deep into my skin._

_"You will not leave me." Came his calm, commanding reply._

_I felt a trickle of sweat roll down my brow, then across my cheek as if it were a tear. I turned slowly to meet my brother's eyes, my heart pounding against my chest at the mere thought, and he was gone. The door hung open from where my brother had already left. It was then that my body shook... I never even heard him._

_Kisame chuckled from behind me, as he crossed the porch to the front door. As he passed me his deep voice spoke out to me as low as humanly possible, reverberating in my skull to this day._

_"If I were you, kid,... I'd choose the locked room."_

I took a deep breath, has I inched my first foot onto the top step. Slowly, as quietly as humanly possible, I slid my body behind the foot until I was completely on the steps. I felt my breath shake as it left my body. I close my eyes tight, stilling my spinning mind inside of my head. _Calm down, Sasuke, you can do this._ I relaxed every muscle in my body and quietly counted back from ten as I reopened my eyes and looked down the stairs. It suddenly seemed a lot farther from the front door.

Slowly, I took another step and began to repeat the steps like a machine, focusing on just the right amount of pressure to not squeek the boards. I felt my hand begin to tremble as I tried desperately to steady my body with the rail. Finally, I reached the bottom of the stairs. My eyes slid to the kitchen door which was at just the right angle I could not see into. I watched closely as the shadows flickered out into the living room, and carefully began to make my way towards the door.

"Come on, Itachi. There's always long breaks between missions this time of year... It's always like that. It'll pick back up."

My heart beat wildly in my chest the closer I got to the door. I could see them now. Kisame sitting across from Itachi still eating his food. Itachi was crunching on an apple holding it loosely in the air with his elbow propped on the arm of the chair. I let out another shaky breath trying desperately to steady my breathing. I was so close. My pulse threaded throughout me transforming my body into one living pulse.

"This sedentary life bores me." Itachi's smooth voice nearly crawled me out of my skin.

I watched Itachi closely as my arm shakily reached for the door knob and grasped it. My palm was slick with sweat, and the metal slid beneath it as I tried to turn it. I mentally cursed myself as my skin refused to adhere to the metal. My eyes kept on Itachi as my mind began to whirl into a panic waiting for those orbs of blood to turn to me. I could picture it, that calm face locking onto me in a calm manner, as if knowing all along.

Desperately, I wiped the sweat slick hand on my newly claimed shirt, and then reached out for the knob. Slowly, silently, I turned the knob, satisfied that it did not even click, and slipped out the door, shutting it behind me just as quietly.

"So it begins." Itachi said calmly, as if in disinterest, turning his sharp crimson eyes to the now closed door.

Kisame watched his partner in interest. He had become attuned to a few of Itachi's characteristics over the years, and this was the one that interested him the most. "You going to go stop him now?"

"No." Itachi's smooth voice stroked the air, as he began to turn the new red apple in his hand eyeing for the choicest skin to break first. "Let him run first."

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I walked slowly through the village taking it all in. It reminded me of Konoha in a way, how the streets bustled with life. Shops lined the street and families went to and from them busily.

I paused and watched as a young child tugged at his mother's skirt eagerly. Obligingly, she leaned over and scooped him up. As the child nuzzled the nape of his mother's neck, I felt a pang of jelousy shoot through my heart. Painfully, I turned away.

An apparel stand stood to my right, and cautiously I walked towards it. _I wonder where I am... how far from the leaf village._ A man sat behind the counter eyeing me suspiciously, while I scanned his merchandise for what I was after. I need a back pack and at least one change of clothes that fits me. And food... yes, I need food. _I wonder if the leaf village even __**wants **__me back..._

"You don't look from around here boy." The man spoke in with a slight country twang.

I ignored his question. "That black back pack and blanket. How much."

"Where ya from boy." The twang of his voice made my nerves burn with fire.

"That's none of your concern. You want the money or not." I spoke in a sharp, curt tone.

_Not good... I don't even know if this village is friend or foe._ I could feel my heart pick speed while I focused on keeping my composure. Even breath, steady sharp eyes. Yes, I have to keep my breathing steady, in and out, in and out. I could feel my muscles tremble lightly beneath my skin. _Where am I... where did you bring me Itachi... _The clerk did not seem to notice my anxiety... most people didn't, except for _him_.

The man continued to eye me suspiciously, then spoke. "Twenty dollars."

I glanced over the clothes, and thought it best not to stay longer in case I get too much of his attention. "Alright."

I pulled out my wallet, and began thumbing through it. I was surprised to see Itachi did not take any of my money, but then again, my brother was a murder not a thief. I heard a high pitch whistle and looked up to see the wide-eyed clerk staring down at my wallet.

"Thats a mighty fine penny you got there boy." He scanned his eyes up to my face to regard me with even deeper suspicion. "What a boy like you doing with so much money?"

I glared at him menacingly and shoved twenty dollars under his face. "Take it. And shut up." I spat sharply to him.

His eyes widened a bit further momentarily, then shrank down to a slight narrow as he took the money and gave me the pack and blanket. I stuffed the blanket inside of it, then slid it onto my shoulders and quickly walked away. And it was then that I noticed the eyes...

The shop keepers watched me walk the streets with narrow eyes. The families whispered, looking to one another on edge. I felt the air thicken, and swallowed as a thick lump slid down my throat. _This isn't good... I better leave and find another village._ I held my head down in an attempt to hide a bit more of my face, and sped up gripping my new pack nuckle tight.

_"Aniki, where do babies come from?" My eight year old voice chided._

_Itachi looked up sharply to me, his dark eyes holding me in disregard. I heard mother fumble a dish in the sink. She chuckled lightly as she washed it off and put it in the rack._

_I looked up into my brother's calm face that was now looking at me with slightly furrowed brows. I stuck out my lip at him. "Aniki! I asked you a question!"_

_I felt my mother's small hand land on my head and playfully rufle my hair. I tried to shake out of her hand, but she chased my head and finished her attack on my hair._

_"Moooom! I'm a big boy now!" I whined, trying desperately to smooth my hair._

_Mother only laughed lightly. "You will find out about babies when you are older. Leave your brother be. He has an important mission today." And with that she strolled out the room humming leaving a scent of lilacs in her absence._

_And that was mother. She was smiles and songs and spring lilacs. Her smile was warmer than summer, and her hands were gentler than water. And her absence was a knife deeper than hell._

_I turned to my brother who had since regained his interest in the mango he was now chewing. I pouted, as my brown eyes widened to him._

_"You're not really leaving again aniki, are you?" I whimpered._

_Itachi turned to me as he swallowed the fruit. I began to fidget nervously beneath his dark gaze which held me tightly in its grasp. Itachi leaned forward until he was level with my eyes. He held out his arm steady, and flicked me hard on my forehead. I whimpered as I backed up rubbing the red spot which began to swell in its wake. I watched my brother's eyes as it locked onto the swell, and watched, drinking in every second of the after math with hunger._

_"Aniki! That hurt! Why do you always do that?"_

_"Go play." Itachi said calmly, still leaning over near my face._

_I became attuned to his warm breath now, as it spread over my skin. I stared up into his deep dark eyes, a bottomless pit of nothing. Aniki's eyes were truly empty, and nothing swallowed me._

_"Aniki... where do babies come from?" I chirped, ignoring his command._

_Itachi only ignored me further as he sat up straight and returned his attention to his mango. I pouted further extending my lip. My aniki would be gone soon, and I was not going to give up this attention without a fight. I swiftly slid out of my chair and into his lap. Squirming, I redistributed my weight until I was strattling him with my legs on either side and sitting on his lap facing him._

_I waited impatiently for his attention to be given to me, but Itachi acted as if I was not even there as he took another bite of mango and chewed it to a pulp. I let out a small, impatient huff as my brows furrowed and lip settled into a permanent pout. Reaching up, I grasped a tuff of hair on either side of his head, and tugged on it hard._

_My aniki complied and allowed his head to be pulled downward until he faced me. I let out an excited squeel and wiggled in his lap. I watched as his eyes briefly darkened considerably, as an emotion shot through his eyes hungrily consuming me. I felt my heart race as I drank up this emotion, this flash that shown only for me. And then as quickly as it came, it left, as if it never even existed._

_"What is it Otouto." Itachi said smoothly._

_"Aniki, I need to know! I need you to show me where babies come from!" I whined innocently, my eyes begging him in a deep desperate pout._

_It was then that his eyes took on a new hunger, one that made my heart race with a fever._

_"You will show me, right aniki?" I whimpered._

_Aniki's eyes deepened considerably. His voice took on a low, smooth tone as it calmly, carefully flowed out into the air wrapping around me tight._

_"Otouto, you have no idea."_

I felt my blush deepen as I walked the near empty streets of the next village. It was dusk, and the sun was escaping quickly past the trees. The final few shoppers were leaving the outside market, as the last of the shop keepers were closing up. I studied the people carefully, almost holding my breath, but none of them even seemed to notice my presence. I let out a sigh of relief.

I felt a cold breeze chill my bones as I wrapped my arms around my torso. It felt as though it was icing through to my bones, as I felt the hairs stand on the back of my neck and air creep up my spine... The sudden sensation that eyes were on me, watching this air assault me, sliding over my skin like some ravenous predator. I turned quickly, my eyes searching desperately for the source.

The keepers and the shoppers remained chatty, unaware of my presence. The children still laughed, chasing one another in circles. I shook my head as my heart paced back down to its original beat. I brought my hand up to my head, the skin felt warm in the cool brease. _I must be losing my mind..._

My eyes caught the sign of a nearby inn, and I crossed the street to its door. I studied the inside as I crossed the room to the desk. It was spacious and warm... the appearance of it sang of home with flowers littering the various vaces scattered across the room. The walls were a warm deep violet hue and the aroma smelled of... lilacs.

_Mother..._

I felt my heart wrench as I stopped at the front desk. The woman sitting behind it stood up from her seat, stretching a warm unknowing smile out to me. Unknowing, for she has no idea what that smell is doing to me.

"One room for the night." She sang. I nodded.

_"Sasuke," mother laughed, "You have to chew in between bites! Slow down, you'll choke."_

"We have a room with a jacuzzi and a king sized bed, a suite with a balcony, a jacuzzi, and a king sized bed,..." The woman began to sing as she looked over the list of available rooms. This must be a tourist town. That must be why no one even noticed me. "And a smaller room with a full sized bed and... oh! It has a balcony too!"

"Anything smaller." I almost whispered.

_Mother took me into her arms, lilacs encircling me with her embrace. "You are so precious to me."_

The woman looked at me perplexed. "No, we only have those three. I take it you want the one with the full sized bed." I nodded.

_"There! All better." Mother giggled as she covered the burns on the side of my face from the fire ball jutsu with a bandaid. I blushed lightly. "Thanks."_

"Let's see, that will be... forty five dollars." The woman smiled pleasantly.

_"I love you sweetie." Love... it has been so long since someone has said that to me... it seems like some sort of ghost from the grave, but I can almost hear it, right now, with the lilacs in the room invading my senses to steal the last remaining bits of my sanity. I can almost feel what those words once brought to me... but it is torn away as the words rip my heart with my mother's blood._

I slid off my back pack and opened it to retrieve my wallet that I had stuffed into the pack beneath the blanket... and my heart stopped. I stared into the pack in disbelief, as my heart rate quickened inside of my chest threatening to beat out of it. I could hear the pulse in my ears consuming all sounds around me as heat flushed to the surface of my skin sending a cold, chilling sweat down my face.

Laying on top of the blanket was a blue piece of fabric with my clan's insignia on it... the same insignia Itachi ripped off of my shirt. Drawn across the insignia was a thin trail of fresh blood marking the clan out. I stared at it in disbelief wide eyed.

"Sir, are you okay? You look feverish." Came a concerned voice.

My eyes darted up to meet her concerned ones. _Should I just leave?... Should I stay here?... When did he even...?_ Then a familiar cold settled in my chest. This pack as been on me this entire time. I didn't even hear him come near me...

_If I were you, kid,... I'd choose the locked room._

"I'm fine." I handed her the money.

She nodded slowly, looking me over carefully, and took the money as she handed me the keys.

"This is the only key, right?" I asked in a shaky voice.

"Yes, sir... are you sure you are okay, sir?"

With that, I turned and headed quickly for the stairs. I ghosted the two flights and entered the room, slamming the door behind me. I leaned against the door greedily sucking in the air harshly as my eyes darted throughout the room looking for any movement. I quickly locked the door, and felt the unquenchable need to secure every possible entrance as the full meaning of Kisame's words sank in.

_He didn't mean to choose the locked room as a prison..._ My heart began to race into the back of my throat choking me at the realization. _...He meant choose the locked room to keep Itachi out!_

I went to the balcony doors and checked to ensure they were locked. They were, but the lock was loose and I quickly tightened it down hard. My mind whirled at the thought of Itachi, his eyes thick with _my _blood drinking up every drop of it. His brows furrowing in displeasure. _You are mine now. _I crossed the room quickly and looked in the bathroom. With a shaky hand, I grasped the shower curtain, and held my breath as I flung it open. My heart skipped a beat as it quickened, then slowed to normal at the sign that it was clear.

I let out a long sigh, as my muscles slowly began to relax. I could still feel my body shaking in its skin, as my rattling breath slowly steadied, and my heart beat out this newly found high.

I entered the room and looked around. The pale blue walls shone in the setting sun as the curtains shimmered in its late light. It was eerily peaceful, shining out its false sense of security, like some sort of past notion that I now know to be a lie. It was then that my eyes settled on an object resting on the neatly made bed. I crossed the room and peered down at it, only to have my breath catch in my throat again.

Resting on the bed was a photograph... of me in the previous town. It was a close up shot from the waist up, and I was not even wearing my back pack yet. I set the room keys on the bed and lifted the photo towards my face. I felt my skin chill considerably... he got this close to me? I thought back to the cloth in my pack and was chilled even further.

I could feel my heart race beneath my fingertips that now gripped the photo staring in disbelief. A trapped sensation washed over me, like a rat in a cage, and this room was the cage. The air began to thicken and press down on me hard threatening to suffocate me.

I ripped open the door and ran, down the stairs, through the corridor, and out the front of the inn while a desperate inn clerk called in after me.

Because on the back of that photograph, written in fresh blood were the words...

_**Prey...**_

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. It will be a while before I get to update the fourth chapter. I work very long shifts on the weekend, so I know I won't get a chance to write any.

This chapter was so far my favorite one. I'm hoping it is a bit more like the prequel than the previous chapters... It was my intention of having a very similar style to the prequel as far as the writing style is concerned. Though it will be impossible to make it exact given the nature of the sequel, which I have come to accept. Besides, I never wanted to make it exactly like the prequel, just come close in style. Dead By Dawn was a very special fanfic of mine in that it turned out exactly how I wanted it to. None of my other fanfics did, but that one was by far my best work in my opinion. I'm hoping to achieve the same with this one... But Sasuke is a pain to write. Itachi is a bit easier to write... but still a pain.

Sasuke: You are a pain too, Sheol.

Sheol: grrr... I will kill you off if you aren't nice.

Sasuke: ...

Sheol: Or make you wear women's underwear. evil grin

Sasuke: !!

Anyways, I think I messed up some on the first two chapters... I reread them and it wasn't quite the atmosphere I wanted to create, so now I'm hoping I fixed it and made the story a bit more suspenseful, angsty, and dark like the prequel was. I thank Starsurfer for pointing out the difference to me.

Please review and let me know if you like where I am going with this, or any other thoughts or comments you may have. I love reviews. :)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: nope, don't own Naruto.

A/N: I've been reading the Naruto shippuden manga online, so yeh, I know the "truth" about Itachi and the slaughter of the Uchiha clan... I won't say the truth here to prevent spoilers. But for those of you that know the truth, just know that this fanfic is written when Sasuke is still about thirteen long before Shippuden. I have not decided yet whether or not to acknowledge the "truth" in this fanfic, or whether I will just completely ignore the "truth" and make up another reason as to why he killed his clan... or whether or not I will even address the reason. This is a fanfic afterall, so it is not like I have to stay 100 loyal to the manga plotline.

Thank you to all who reviewed, much love to you!

Darkmint: I got a headache from adding your "silly words of wisdom". lol.

Starsurfer: I tried firefox before about a year ago, and it slowed down my laptop big time. But thank you for the advice. Yeh, Itachi was relieving himself of boredom, so you hit it dead on. And thanks, I'm glad its closer to the prequel now. :)

Angelic: I was wondering when you'd be back.

Rachel: Honestly, I have not decided if it will end with Itachi loving Sasuke back. I always write my fanfics with an end in mind, and when I get to the end I fill in the little details. The end I have in mind has nothing to do with whether or not Itachi loves Sasuke back, so Itachi's feelings for Sasuke would be a detail. Unfortunately, the details depend entirely on my mood at the time I write the chapters. So to condense this long paragraph I decided to write... I have not decided yet.

(Either way, there will be Uchiacest.)

Nymphadora: I'm bad at summaries, that's why... lol. And thanks, I'm glad I'm explaining their reasonings well.

Sasuke: Shut up and write the chapter. You'll never get it written at this rate!!

Sheol: grrrr...

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_**Prey...**_

I stared hard at the words, burning them into my mind. I ran my fingers over its crimson lettering, the partially dry blood lightly smearing beneath my fingertips. I watched entranced as the dark liquid slid over the smooth back of the photograph creating a slick texture over the rough edges of the dried part of the blood.

I brought my fingertips up to my face, the dark red liquid holding a contrast against the milk of my skin. I breathed in the liquid slowly, the sharp scent of iron assaulting my senses setting my nerves on fire. As the scent disrupted my senses, sending my mind on a plane up high as danger spun in my head screaming to me to keep running, I couldn't help but wonder... is this my brother's blood?

_Surviving in such an unslightly manner as this..._

I could not recall ever seeing him bleed... is this what it looks like? So red, so human... I breathed in again, the scent setting my mind on overload. Is this what my blood will _feel_ like when it is spilled, such a high, and my heart began to pound harder at his begging, burning the muscles in my legs to just _run._

_By all means, flee, cling to your wretched life._

And with as hard as my nails tore at the photograph, the blood still remained stained on its back, marking me as prey.

Chapter 4- Prey

My eyes darted over the deserted street lined by empty shops. My legs still burned like a wild fire, entrapping my muscles just itching to run. I sucked in each breath, my chest burning hot coal beneath my ribs as I walked down the street. I felt my senses tingle as my eyes fluttered over the scene soaking in each shadow, each movement in the light breeze. And the silence drove the pressure deeper into my chest.

How fitting, how belittling, that my legs were shaking too badly to run any further. I could feel the weakness consuming them with each burn in the sore meat. I could run for hours in training, but the thought of those eyes set the nerves on fire, seemingly to burn them into his submission.

My head snapped to the right as a rattle broke the silence over the street. I felt the pressure release for a moment, as my muscles tensed ready for a seconds notice. I watched as a can jumped over the dirt street, rattling in the breeze. I sucked in a slow breath and released it, feeling the pressure return on my chest as my mind began to create new secret places of his hiding.

_I need to get out of here... somewhere safe._ I heard laughter echo out of a small building to my left. My eyes settled on its warm light with shadows moving through the window. _Somewhere with people._

"How about now, Itachi." Kisame watched from the roof top Sasuke's retreating form into the building, as he ran a thick red tongue over his razor teeth. "Your brother seems scared enough. He's learned his lesson."

Itachi's deep crimson eyes closed slowly, as his head tilted to Kisame only for the eyes to reopen casting two red moons into Kisame's dark eyes.

"What lesson." Itachi spoke calmly, as he remained crouched close to the roof.

"Hn." Kisame chuckled, showing a row of shark-like teeth. "You mean this isn't for him disobeying you?"

Itachi returned his gaze to Sasuke, as he watched his brother's arm reach out to open the door, a deep hunger settled into his eyes setting the two orbs of blood on fire as they sucked in every movement, every slight sway of the boy's form. Kisame watched as Itachi's eyes seemed to overflow with blood,... and it was then Kisame trembled.

"He will want this." Came Itachi's even reply, voice unmoved by the blood in his eyes.

Kisame mentally steadied his body, but he could not tear his eyes from Itachi. He had only seen this look once before, when Itachi first mentioned his brother. But as he stared at his partner he couldn't help but want a bit more information, something more to drink in. The edge of Kisame's lips tucked upward a bit more, revealing ivory canines beneath. His eyes were wet eagerly on Itachi.

"How touching, Itachi. Playing with your little brother." Kisame edged on.

Kisame felt a pressure bear down on his chest as silence engulfed the air. The force of the chakra shortened his breaths considerably, and he began to pant sucking the air through his throat creating a harsh whistle. Itachi's eyes continued to burn on the building in the wake of Sasuke's absence, his form calmly bent over with eyes contemplating in the fire of his blood eyes.

Kisame felt his heart speed a bit, as he watched the deadly calm of his partner. He knew not to push Itachi in his silence, it was foolish to do so. And now his partner's chakra was bearing down on his body, with the silence ensuing like a somber pause at a funeral. And just as quickly as the pressure had begun, it was released, causing Kisame to greedily suck in the new found freedom in the air.

Itachi rose slowly, and dropped elegantly from the roof top, his Akatuski cape billowing in the air. Kisame watched his partner descend to the ground. As well as he knew Itachi, he couldn't help but feel he knew nothing of his partner. And as Itachi slowly crossed the street, his slim form gliding over the dirt like a ghost, Kisame could not help but chuckle. As frightening as Itachi was, Itachi was the highest thrill Kisame ever felt. It's what kept him as Itachi's partner.

"Right." Kisame hissed as he descended behind his partner.

I entered the building, the smell of cigarrettes and alcohol hitting me hard. My eyes squinted as the smoke burned them, and slowly adjusted to the smog in the building. I coughed hard, clearing my throat of the pollution. An old song was chiming noisily from a juke box in the corner of the room. Tables criss crossed the floor littered with slumped forms over bottles and mugs, and a bar sat at the opposite end of the door with more slumped forms and wobbly legs.

And I could just picture Itachi walking in here, laughing at me for thinking I could find safety in a place like this. I sucked in a deep breath, only to release another violent cough as the smoke burned my throat further, and I could feel my eyes burn deeper from the smoke. Slowly, I crossed the room and took a seat at the bar.

The tender lightly glanced up from a mug he had been wiping only to blink a few times at me in disbelief, and then his brows furrowed deep.

"Hey, kid, you gotta be twenty one to come in here." The tender spat at me.

"Mind your own business." I glared at him, as I rested my elbows on the bar and slumped my head into one of my hands. Just the act of sitting at the bar seemed to relax every fiber of my being. Itachi would never look for me in here, and a calm seemed to set in.

I heard some giggling from across the room, as I looked up to see a couple of girls sitting at a table whispering and pointing at me. I saw a glint of mischief in one of their eyes, while the other girl held me in disregard. Suddenly, a look of realization hit her eyes, as they deepened with intent.

"Get out of here, kid! You trying to get me fired!" The tender shouted into my face. He had since crossed the bar and was now directly in front of me.

My eyes shot up to meet his, glaring coldly at his sky blue eyes. My voice took on a low tone as venom laced every word that left my lips, screaming to leave me be.

"I could care less what happens to you. Now shut up."

The tender glared at me. "You little brat. Fine then, you want to play tough guy?" He looked across the room at met someone's eyes. "Bouncer! Throw this kid out!"

I held my glare on the tender who was now smirking, eyes staring knowingly at me dancing with satisfaction. I heard heavy footsteps approach me and stop directly behind my stool. I carefully shifted my weight until I was no longer leaning on my arm. My posture was straight holding myself high on the stool with pride.

"This the brat giving you probs." Came a gruff voice from behind me. I could see his shadow stretch across the counter towering over my small form, muscles of shadow engulfing me.

"Yea," came the tender's amused reply as he kept his self assured eyes locked with mine, "get rid of the kid."

"No prob." A deep barking laugh came from behind.

I kept my cold glare locked with the tender, a look of annoyance entering my eyes. I felt a warm hand encircle my upper arm grabbing it roughly. The hand squeezed tight as it began to lift me up a few centimeters from the bar stool. My eyes narrowed further at the tender. I was not going to leave her, not now that I found some sense of safety.

"Don't touch me." I growled.

And with one sharp snap I thrusted my arm straight upwards from my body catching the bouncer beneath the chin. I heard a satisfying click as his teeth knocked together followed by his grip loosening on my arm and then releasing. I kept my eyes locked with the tender, watching as his eyes widened in shock while his bouncer fell unconscious to the floor. I heard a crash followed by a moan, and then a slump to the floor. The tender's mouth slid open as he leaned over the counter staring in disbelief. I watched the tender carefully, as a small smirk formed on my mouth.

"As I said before, mind your own business."

The tender looked over to me, shot a glare as a sweat drop trickled down the side of his face, then turned and walked away, his discontent apparent. I let out a deep sigh, the smoke now only mildly burning my lungs as my body had adapted to it. I felt my muscles slip from mildly tense back to their relaxed state as the peace returned.

"Hey, you're pretty strong. What's your name, cutie?" A seductive voice to my left purred.

I glanced over my shoulder to see a girl with rich, dark red hair cut in a short bob, and darkly tanned skin. A yellow head band was worn in her hair, and she wore a light blue kimono with a high collar and long, wide arms with a yellow embroidery around the neck and tips of the sleeves. The kimono was cut high ending mid thigh, and a black net hose covered her legs down to her low cut combat boots which matched the low cut combat gloves she wore with missing fingers. Her yellow, cat-like eyes caught mine, and I shot her a look of distaste. Her kimono reminded me too much of the ones Itachi had bought for me, and it left a bad image in my mind.

"It's rude to ask for a name before introducing yourself." I said in disinterest.

She giggled as she blushed, and looped on of my fingers with hers which rested on the bar. "My name is Ryoko, now what's yours again?"

I swiftly moved my finger out of her grasp, as I looked away from her. "I don't give my name to annoying girls." My body shifted away from her signaling for her to leave.

I could feel Ryoko's glare into the side of my head, and it was then that a giggle came from my other side. I glanced over to see a dark brunette with her hair tied into a single french braid that ran in a thick trail down her back to her hips. Her skin was a ghostly pale that sharply contrasted her chocolate brown hair. She had deep violet eyes that matched the violet head band in her hair that tied in a knot at the base of her head in her braid, and then trailed in purple ribbons down her back with her hair. Her outfit seemed a bit out of place in the bar. She wore a sleeveless black leather button up shirt with a low V cut that revealed the tip of her cleaveledge, and black skin tight leather pants with high cut combat boots. A violet shash was tied loosely around her waist and purple arm bands lined her upper arm and mid lower arm. The purple band on her right upper thigh almost made her appear like a shinobi... almost.

"I don't think he likes you, Ryoko." She looked from Ryoko to me. "Isn't that right?"

I looked her over a second time. "So what are you suppose to be." I almost spat it. I come in here for safety and peace, and it seems like everyone in here is focused on me.

Her violet eyes flashed with excitement. "And what is that suppose to mean, 'what are you?' I'm a girl."

I looked down to the bar, hoping they would both just leave. My mind and body craved for the once safe, enticing peace that was found upon first sitting at this bar, and anger began to shift throughout my body at every second that passed in their presence.

The brunette leaned over and whispered into my ear, her breath brushing over my skin tingling my fine hairs. "Want to have some fun?"

My eyes shifted over the counter to where her left hand was resting near mine. A glint of light from her ring finger caught my eye, as my gaze fixed on a light blue ring with the kanji Kuu embedded into the ring in black. My mind shifted back to a similar scarlet ring on Itachi's right ring finger with the kanji Shu. I shifted my eyes up to her violet ones which were now dancing mere inches from mine.

"You don't seem like an ordinary town girl." I spoke calmly, flashing my eyes dangerously at her.

She pulled back some and smirked, eyeing me with regard. "Well, I'm not. In fact, I'm not even from this town, just like you, right?"

"You seem to know a lot about me." I felt my muscles tense under my calm demeanor, as my pulse quickened with adrenaline. I moved my arm closer into my body as my posture straightened.

"It's not everyday some town's kid decks a bouncer out cold." Came a musical giggle from behind me. Ryoko paced around front until she was standing next to her partner. "We knew you were something special, right." Said the red head as she looked to the brunette.

"I'll only ask one more time, what are you." I demanded, as the irritation set in hard. I fisted my hand against the bar and glared at the two girls. I could feel my hairs stand on end as a cold sense washed over my skin.

"We are bounty hunters. We could use someone strong on our next mission. Come join us... I promise it will be _fun._" The brunette whispered with a flash of adrenaline through her eyes.

I felt the chill creep farther along the back of my neck. Something was not right here. I could feel goosebumps crawl up the length of my arm as my hairs stood on end. And it was then that I felt it, eyes upon me swallowing me whole.

"Cold, cutie? Want me to warm you up?" Ryoko winked at me in a seductive manner. The brunette rolled her eyes at her partner's suggestion.

My eyes darted around the room until they rested on a dark figure standing in the smog of the shadows near the exit. I caught a flash of red clouds and blinked in surprise, and the moment my eyes reopened, the figure was gone. I felt my pulse quicken beneath my skin threading slowly throughout my entire body. My eyes darted over to the brunette's ring, then up to meet her deep violet eyes.

_Kuu... void... Shu... scarlet..._

"Where are the others." I demanded, trying desperately to retain my calm composure.

The void now threatened to engulf me, growing steadily deeper in the presence of the scarlet blood. I felt the pressure of blood beneath my pulses threaten to rip open and spill onto this floor. And the smog grew thicker blanketing me in a false sense of security. I glared into the brunette's eyes, my outer strong composure lying through my rattling bones.

The brunette looked questioningly at me. "What others."

The red head looked from her partner, then settled her almond eyes on me. "It's just use two, sweetie. We have no other partners."

"Don't play stupid with me! I saw the other partner already! And I saw your ring!" I shouted at her, the rage engulfing me.

My eyes burned into her demanding an answer. I could feel my breath quicken as I focused on steadying it. In and out, in and out. My body began to feel lighter, as the cold swept through my blood icing my muscles, setting them ablaze with fire from the previous run.

The brunette looked at me perplexed as she glanced down at the ring. Ryoko giggled lightly, her musical laughter floating through the building. "You don't like her ring?"

The brunette took a serious tone as her eyes held me in disposition. "My name is Kira. If you want to come with us, then come. I will not waste my time on you any longer."

With that, Kira turned and began to leave, her hand resting on her hip as it swayed with her body. Ryoko turned and winked at me as she giggled, following her friend out the door.

My eyes followed their retreating forms, as confusion began to wash over me. A spark of surprise set in as they both moved through the doors. _If they were Itachi's partners... wouldn't they?..._

I rose to follow them through the door as a firm grip held me back at the wrist. Before I could turn, a chilling breath grazed over my neck burning it with the cold, as a calm silky voice echoed through my head.

"Do not move."

I could feel my heart still in my chest, as my breath silenced growing deathly slow. My muscles froze as his ice cold lips rested on the shell of my ear as if gently kissing me with death.

"Well, aren't you going to take me back." I was proud with how confident my voice came out.

I felt his tongue slide out against my ear and trace the outer shell slowly, leaving a chill in its wake. My mind began screaming for me to run, but my muscles remained locked in his grasp. And every fiber of my being radiated an iced burn down to my core as the knowledge of what is impending beat down on me.

"No..." Itachi whispered into my ear.

My brow lightly furrowed in confusion. His breath tingled my skin as he rested his head against mine, his other arm now stretching over to the front of mine ghosting his fingers across my skin, the loose mesh of the shirt scratching across me. I felt my skin contract beneath his touch, responding in a sickly perversed manner.

"I am not done yet." Came the calm chilling reply.

"What do you want." I demanded, exasperated.

Itachi drew a small circle along my chest in a thoughtful manner. My mind began drawing conclusions of every possible response, and the terror grew like a crushing pressure in my chest as Itachi's finger encircled it like a predator.

"I want your innocence." The reply was even, precise. And a chill crawled up my spine at the memory of when he first spoke those words to me that fateful day.

"You already got my virginity, you bastard." I growled.

His hand slid up my chest, sending a pleasant chill through my body much to my displeasure, and cupped my face lightly. An image of Naruto dead flashed through my mind, his lifeless eyes staring into me as Itachi's hand cupped his head in an almost loving manner. A pang of jelousy shot through me, followed by a consumption of guilt... but I could not help but wonder... if Itachi was cupping my head in a similar manner.

"Not that innocence." Itachi calmly whispered, his cold voice flowing through my body. "I want you to kill the girls."

My body stilled, as the realization flowed through me, followed by anger washing through every inch of my body, an anger that nearly over threw my fear.

"I killed Naruto. I'm not _innocent_ any more." I seethed the word innocent running it through my teeth harshly.

Itachi's cold finger came dangerously close to my eye and traced a thin line beneath it.

"Foolish brother. Naruto is still alive." I felt a small trickle of blood run down my cheek from the tip of Itachi's finger, as his perfect voice stung my ears. "How I long to see scarlet on your pale hands."

"Would if I refuse." My voice shook as Itachi's breath crossed over the shell of my ear, sending chills down my spine. I could still see his crimson eyes burning black flames into my dreams.

"Find out." Itachi's smooth voice tempted me, daring me to refuse.

I felt his grip loosen on me, as his cold body slid from mine allowing the heat to return to it. Quickly, I spun around only to find nothing behind me... and my body shook as his voice echoed in my head.

Ryoko tapped his foot impatiently. "Why don't I just go drag him out the bar? I don't think he's following us Kira."

"Be patient. He'll come." Kira said confidently as she remained leaning against the side of the bar.

"Really? And what bait did you leave for him to bite genius?" Ryoko said in a mocking manner.

It was then that the bar door opened and I slipped out. My eyes could not meet their gaze as I walked past them, and I could feel their eyes glued to me as they followed my every movement. I stopped, glancing over my shoulders to them.

"Well? Are you coming?" I questioned in a harsh tone.

Kira sent Ryoko a knowing smile, as a broad smile stretched over Ryoko's face.

"I knew you'd come!" She squeeled as she skipped after me. "You won't regret this!"

_You have no idea... _and the cold settled into my chest as the past began to repeat itself in its sickly rapturous cycle.

Kisame watched as Sasuke, Kira, and Ryoko disappeared down the street, an amused smirk stretching over his face.

"This is getting interesting, Itachi. Who would have imagined those two would be here in a place like this."

Itachi leaned into the shadows watching his brother's retreating form, amusement reigning in his eyes at the mere thought. Kisame glanced to his partner, eyeing his still form as he passively blended with the dark.

"You don't think your brother can kill Kira, do you?" Kisame chuckled. Itachi remained silent, his dark form molding perfectly with the shadows. "Right." Kisame replied, as he looked back to the now empty street where the three had been. "I guess we'll find out how strong Sasuke is."

Itachi's smooth voice blended with the cold wind of the night.

"He will be mine."

A/N: Kuu means void and Shu means scarlet.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto.

A/N: the images of Naruto being lifeless and what not are memories Sasuke has of a dream he had of Naruto dying from Dead By Dawn. I didn't exactly reference it in hopes you guys would remember, but just in case, I'm telling you now.

Chapter 5- In the Wake of a Nightmare

_My nine year old feet struggled to keep up with my aniki's long strides. The Konoha shopping district was buzzing with life this early morning, and the louder it became, the tighter I squeezed aniki's hand. But it was okay, because I was here with aniki this morning, and as long as I was beside aniki everything would be okay._

_I looked from the smiling, joyful faces around us, then back to my aniki's calm, expressionless face. His dark hair and pale skin held him out from the crowd. It was striking how perfect his face seemed, without a crease from a smile to flaw it. Perhaps that is why he never shows emotion, I thought in passing for a moment, to be perfect._

_"Hey, Itachi! What brings you to the market today!" A familiar voice called out._

_I looked forward to see Shisui standing in front of aniki. His very face shot forward a pang of jelousy and envy, as my aniki devoted all of his attention to Shisui._

_Aniki was silent, before he replied, "Tofu."_

_"Ah, Mikoto sent you to town again." Shisui smiled. "Well, why don't you come have breakfast for me before you head back."_

_My eyes widened as I looked to my aniki for his response. Aniki's face remained calm as he barely tilted his head to indicate a nod. I fisted my hand on my aniki's as I glared at Shisui, a stab of betrayal tainting my heart as the jelousy overflowed. This was suppose to be our morning, not his. He always gets aniki._

_"Otouto, take this to Mikoto." Aniki handed the tofu to me wrapped in wax paper._

_I looked from the neatly wrapped package, then up to my brother's solumn eyes, before casting him a defiant look. I scrunched my nose and tightly fisted both hands._

_"No! You bring it to Kaasan! Kaasan asked you to!" I shouted angrily._

_"Otouto, enough." Aniki replied calmly as he pushed the tofu into my hands._

_Reluctantly I took it, as I glared in spite at Shisui who was giving me a confused look. It only made me hate him more. He could not possibly be that stupid. He knows exactly what he is doing._

_"He's my aniki! You can't have him!" I yelled angrily at Shisui as I gripped the tofu._

_Shisui blinked surprised for a moment, then laughed as he held his head. He shook his head one time before he looked down at me smiling._

_"Is that what you think, Sasuke? That I'm trying to steal your big brother? It's not like that-"_

_"Don't act like I'm stupid! I hate you!" I shouted back cutting him off._

_And before either could say anything, I turned and ran, the jelousy spinning my mind into a blur._

I stared down at the chunk of bread and the few pieces of smoked meat. It was a big change from what Itachi had me eating. It seemed fitting, that when Itachi finally gives me all of his attention is when I try to escape it. A small chuckle escaped my lips. And after all those years of trying to obtain it... but still, just the thought of Shisui burns me with rage.

"Is something funny?" Kira asked, eyeing me strangely. She took a bite of the tough meat that reminded me more of jerky as she motioned to my food. "You need to eat. You may not get another chance to."

I ignored her as I continued to stare at the food. Even now Itachi was under my skin, as I found myself consumed with thoughts of him more than when I was with him. My mind rolled over the recent events: first the "presents" he left at the inn, and then what happened in the bar. It does not make any sense. If I was his prey, than wouldn't he kill me instead of sending me to kill someone else? Or at least bring me back to his cabin?

My thoughts could only end with one conclusion... he was toying with me. I balled my fists on the ground crushing the bits of hard clay in them. The squawks of the forest birds filled the air, as if laughing at my stupidity. _I bet Itachi is laughing with them right now, laughing at __**me**_. The rage boiled up beneath my skin as I stared at the food before me.

"Calm down cutie." Ryoko winked her golden eyes at me, flashing me a pearly smile.

I glared at her, the mere sound of her voice edging my rage on. _I bet he's watching me right now, laughing, seeing what his frightened little puppet will do next._ My mind seethed over the thought as my muscles shook lightly with the anger.

Ryoko winced back at the look in my eyes. "Jeesh, okay." _What crawled up his butt this morning._

My mind slowly spun to the realization... yes, he is watching me right now. A smile crept up my face. _And I can show him just how much of a puppet I am._

I gave Ryoko the kindest smile I could produce. "It's not you. I was just thinking about something."

Ryoko looked back to me and nodded somewhat curiosly. I continued, the smile still on my face. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't think I introduced myself earlier."

I reached out and took her hand in a gentle hand shake. Ryoko glanced down quickly as our hands touched, a blush spreading across her tanned skin. She smiled and giggled. "Well, this is a sudden change."

It took every ounce of my strength to say the next words, as I swallowed back the vomit that threatened to come up. "I realized I shouldn't be so cruel to such a pretty girl."

Ryoko's eyes widened as sparkles of glitter lightened them, and a smile spread across her face with an even redder blush. I could hear Kira snorting a laugh from behind me, while I gritted my teeth to keep the seductive smile on my face.

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Kisame took a bite of his rationed bread and chewed with discontent. "Needs some meat in it." He muttered between his bites. They were both high up in the tree tops.

Itachi stared down hard at the scene before him. He was leaned casually against the tree trunk, his left leg pulled up to his chest as his right dangled carelessly off the branch. His left arm was slung over his leg while his right rested over his abdomen. His face gazed calmly down on Sasuke showing no emotions, while his eyes burned a dangerously through the trees.

"This is a bit dangerous leaving your brother with Kira. You remember who she belongs to, right?" Kisame muttered between another bite of food. "Unless you're trying to get rid of him."

"Quiet Kisame." Itachi said in a sharp, calm tone.

Kisame looked from Itachi down to Sasuke, and could not help but chuckle beneath his breath. _So you are suicidal as well, kid._ _Nice knowing you._

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"So what do you like to do for fun?" Ryoko asked with a light blush on her face as she twirled my finger with hers.

I contemplated her question, and realized I could not begin to honestly answer it. I thought back on my life in Konoha, the long hours of training and anger punched into the tree stumps. I could still see the shops with worn paint peeling from its side, the old blood soaked into the wood staining it an unnatural dark shade of brown, and the silence... the oppressive silence that whistled through the streets with the wind and clattered the mangled doors against the frame.

"... I train." I answered, the fake smile stretching across my face as I painstakingly stroked her curious fingers in mine.

"Train? No seriously, what do you do for fun." Ryoko giggled, her golden eyes flashing into mine.

The boards of the Uchiha mansion would groan in the middle of the night echoing through the empty house, as the brisk air circled the drafty room like some haunting spirit who cannot leave. And as the cold pricked up young skin, I became convinced it would never leave.

"Then what do you do?" My muscles began to tire beneath the plastered smile, as I desperately switched the focus off of me.

Ryoko's golden eyes flashed even brighter, "Why don't I show you? Come on a date with me, right now."

And at that moment, those eyes chilled me to the bone, how they shone with life and excitement and promises of a better time. I could see all of him in her eyes, as Naruto stared out at me from her. And a pain etched through my heart... _He said I was a brother to him..._

_I wonder if I still am..._

"That's not such a good idea. Not with those two watching." Kira spoke in a commanding voice.

Ryoko looked to Kira in surprise. "Someone's watching us!" Her voice was taken off guard, and she almost shouted it.

"Not so loud, idiot." Kira snapped. "I don't know who they are. They manage to stay well hidden even from me, and I don't recognize their chakra, but they've been trailing us since we left the town. At any rate, they haven't attacked us or made any movement to make me believe they will, so let's just get some sleep. We'll take turns keeping watch in shifts."

Ryoko's face slumped to disappointment. "Yeah, sure.." She let out a sigh as she glanced over to me.

I looked at Kira with doubt. "It's morning."

"We sleep during the hot part of the day and travel late in the day and at night when it's cooler..." Kira spoke with confidence, her eyes serious and set. Then her voice took on a suspicious tone. "You don't seem that surprised someone is following us."

I kept my face still as I kept eye contact with Kira. _I want you to kill them._ A chill crept down my spine. "I sensed them as well." Came my self assured lie.

The truth remains; I have never been able to sense Itachi or Kisame, but especially Itachi. Even when we were younger, his movements were invisible to me. And as I held my steady gaze with Kira's serious eyes, the gap between Kira and Ryoko became increasingly evident. My thoughts could only unwind to two possible conclusions: Kira is either an ex shinobi turned bounty hunter, or a liar...

"Well, I guess let's go to sleep then." Ryoko muttered in disappointment.

I turned to face Ryoko's downcast face, and the thought of Itachi being forced to watch this caused a smile to creep over my face. A surge of power and control filled me, and without a second thought caught her face with my hand. Her golden eyes flashed to me in confusion, and a sickening image of Naruto with dim, blue eyes staring lifelessly at me, a trickle of blood crawling out the corner of his mouth which hung open with wordless accusations.

I squeezed my eyes shut blocking out the image, as I leaned forward and seized her lips. I molded my lips to hers as I heard a feminine moan escape from her lips. She eagerly kissed back as her tongue begged for entrance to my mouth. And I found myself imagining this was Itachi's tongue commanding an entrance as I eagerly opened up and sucked his tongue in and slid my tongue into his silky cavern.

It was then that I realized I had been holding my breath, and I broke as I sucked in the air greedily. I opened my eyes, and was slightly surprised to see a breathless Ryoko, face reddened with lusty eyes staring at me and red swollen lips. I blinked a bit, as a sickening realization sunk into me... I had imagined I was kissing my brother. My stomach turned violently as I clutched it, and filth crawled over my skin.

"Alright, you two. There's no room for you to get, so knock it off." Her tone sounded disgusted. "Let's go to sleep. I'll take first watch." Kira motioned for us to follow her as she led us to a nearby cave.

_My tiny feet padded up to my aniki's door. Slowly, I pushed the door open, the light from the hallway filtering through the dark room until the light rested on a shadow lying in aniki's bed. My six year old body slid in through the crack, as I padded across the room and pulled myself up onto the bed._

_I looked down at the mat of covers, and the form that occupied them. Long, black hair was sprayed over the pillow as pale skin seemed to shine beneath it in the dark. My small hands pushed gently on the form, watching for some form of movement._

_"Aniki... aniki, I couldn't sleep." I whispered. "I had a nightmare."_

_No movement. My brows furrowed as I rolled the form over, and the filtered light washed eagerly over the form. My eyes widened as my mouth dropped, and terror over took me as I stared at the image beneath me. Tiny droplets of blood sprayed over my kaasan's face as her dark, empty eyes stared up at me. Her jaw hung open with slack in a silent scream as her thick dry tongue rolled out her mouth. It seemed unnatural the way her head bent alongside her body, and as my eyes trailed down to her neck..._

_I screamed, my voice cracking through the silent room in an eerie pitch. I stared at her neck, the strangely clean cut that separated her head from her body, as her head rolled a bit further until it was down in the covers resting her ear against her shoulder. Her silky black hair spilled over my hands, tracing soft kisses along my skin as if to tell me goodbye long past her death. And it was then I noticed a warm liquid creeping between my fingers, and I lifted my hands to see blood staining into my pale skin painting them an eternal shade of red, and the blood caked further down into the creases of my hand. I stared in horror, as a dark shadow came down upon me, engulfing my kaasan and I._

_I turned slowly, to see a black form behind me, crimson eyes shining with the blood of my clan, and the sharp coppery scent of it surrounded him. I stared up at the familiar eyes that had been stained red with her blood, as eternal of a mark as the blood on my hands._

_"Aniki, why?" I begged him, demanded from him the answer, my weak voice shaking with fear._

_And then came his ghostly reply, that sounded strangely near to my ear despite his distance from me, I could almost feel the breath on my neck, smell the blood on his breath..._

_"How I long to see scarlet on your pale hands..."_

I shot up in the damp, cold cave, my gasping desperately for air. I hot sweat sheened on my skin chilling me in the cool air of the cave. I felt my tense muscles relax at the realization of it being a nightmare. I closed my eyes, and heard the pounding of my heart dull in my ears, as the thready pulse beneath my skin died down to a gentle thud. I opened my eyes, and turned to the two girls who were calmly asleep: Ryoko was fisting the covers holding them close to her body with her brow lightly furrowed, and Kira laid on her back with her arms folded over her chest.

My eyes rested on Kira. "Hmph. Some guard."

My eyes went back to Ryoko, the mat of red hair that clung to her skin now with sweat. I slowly shifted out of my covers and moved towards her, as I leaned over her small form. She seemed young, around fifteen years. As I stared down at her, I could not help but wonder why Itachi would want me to kill them. Was it jelousy perhaps? Did Itachi see the girls wanting me in the bar? An amused smile crept over my face as I pictured my jelous brother demanding their deaths, but the smile slowly faded as a cold child traveled up my spine. _What if I refuse?..._ I looked down at the perfect opportunity for murder. _Find out, Otouto._

_The fact still remains, I don't know where I am_. My heart began to pound in my ears again, pushing pressure up beneath my skull. _I do not know where to go._ I slid the needle shuriken out of the holster on my leg, my hand shook violently. _But I do know my brother is waiting for me outside of this cave._ I held the needle shuriken up to Ryoko's neck, looking down at her sleeping form as her breaths came out evenly, unexpectantly. My hand shook lightly, as I steadied my breath, taking a few practice breaths as I prepared my muscles for the movement.

"Sasuke." Her lips muttered in her sleep.

I stared down at her, my eyes widening in surprise, as I slowly squeezed them shut and edged the needle shuriken from her throat. _I just can't do this._ I took a deep breath. _No, I won't do this. Not to another person who trusts me._ My mind wandered back to Naruto, his bright lively eyes.

"So are you going to put up your weapon, or are you just going to sit there?"

My head snapped to Kira. She still laid there, arms crossed over her chest and eyes closed. I watched her still form carefully, had she really been awake this whole time? I shook my head. If I can't even sense her in this cave, then how do I expect to sense my brother? Then another chilling question rose to my mind... was she going to just let me waste her partner?...

I rose in one fluid motion and walked silently to the mouth of the cave. Enough games, it is time for Itachi to recognize me.

"Where are you going?" Kira questioned from behind me.

"Out." I answered curtly, as I exited the cave. And Kira's violet eyes shone on me from behind.

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I walked through the dense forest, the morning birds already silent in the midafternoon sun. I could feel its heat beating on my shoulders as I moved swiftly, silently through the trees. I looked up top, my heart beating wildly with anticipation, as the tree tops hung far out of reach of my eyes in the dense forest. This moment, this life,... it all felt surreal, so fake, like I have lived my life in the wake of some nightmare I cannot wake from. I closed my eyes, and steadied my breath as I mentally assured myself of my decision.

Slowly I lowered my head, as I rose my voice up through the forest with as much strength as I could muster. "Itachi, come out! I'm through with these games!"

Silence greeted me, as I kept my eyes tightly closed. The beat of my heart in my ears moved through at a steady pace, dulling the silence to a roar.

"The games ended in the bar." Came Itachi's calm reply from in front of me.

His calm voice cut through the silence, almost making me jump. I kept my eyes tightly closed and my breath in one clean motion, as I steadied my muscles. But I could not help but resist a small smirk that rose to the surface. _So I was right..._

"Jealous, Itachi." I chuckled. "I knew that's why you wanted them dead."

Silence followed, as birds suddenly squawked overhead fleeing wildly from the scene. I felt an oppressive chakra push down on my chest, as I sucked in my next breath at the sudden closeness of Itachi's voice.

"No, Otouto." Itachi's hot breath grazed over my face tickling the fine hairs of my skin. "Only Ryoko."

My heart leaped in my chest at his confession. An image of a jealous Itachi watching as I kissed Ryoko, and a laugh escaped my mouth at the thought. All those years I envied Shisui as Itachi bathed him in his attention, and now Itachi was having to eat it.

I felt the ground disappear suddenly beneath my feet as my back was slammed hard into the rough bark of a tree, the wood clawing my back through the thin shirt. The tips of my feet barely grazed the ground, as a strong hand gripped the bottom of my throat, pulling me to my brother's height. I could feel his dry, smooth forehead resting on my damp one as his crimson eyes burned through my tightly closed lids.

"Amused." Itachi's smooth velvet voice reverberated through my head, blending with my pounding pulse.

"I'm not killing anyone! If you want them dead so badly, you kill them!" I shouted in his face.

His grip on my neck thightened, as my breath became forced through his constricting grip. I brought my leg up to kick him, but his body leaning into mine as his legs pinned mine against the tree. I felt his grip tighten further on my neck causing my breath to come through in a whistle, and my hands desperately began to wedge themselves between Itachi's grip and my skin. It was then I felt a pressure bear down on my chest, pushing me further into the tree.

"It would lack pleasure." Came Itachi's cold, even reply, as his smooth voice brushed over my skin.

The intentions of those words struck me, as my desperate mind clawed at my throat for air. Itachi would get pleasure from watching me kill someone? My lungs began to burn from the thin amount of air that was coming into them.

"But, why?" My breathless voice gasped through his grip.

I felt a sharp sting as his nails traced beneath my lip, followed by a wet heat as blood trailed down beneath my mouth. I could feel his bloodied eyes taking it all in. Itachi's wet tongue trailed behind his finger, tracing the blood slowly, sliding over my smooth skin. I felt a pleasurable chill wash over me, as my skin crawled with his sickness. My lungs burned further, spinning my oxygen starved mind.

"To test your mettle." His lips moved against my skin slowly, kissing the words into my being.

"What? You are doing this to test my abilities?" I gasped through the tight grip in mixed confusion and rage.

"No, Otouto. Your mettle." His calm, even voice lowered, warning me to not make him repeat himself.

"But for now..." Itachi's lips claimed mine, completely cutting off my oxygen from already starved lungs.

The kiss was possessive, daring me to protest. His soft lips slid over mine, commanding them with their movements, as his teeth clamped down hard on my lower lip. I let out a whimper, as the hot blood chilled me sending a pleasant shake down my spine. His teeth slowly slid off of my lip, and his mouth reclaimed mine, sucking the blood from the bruised skin.

Itachi released my throat, and I greedily sucked in the air, my chest rising in labored movements. Itachi caught the front of my shirt and held me up with it against the tree, his body still pressed hard against mine. I could feel the blood of his eyes burning through my closed lids. His breath came over my face in a swift movement with each word he spoke, as his next words sent a chilling flood over my skin that crept down to my core.

"... Open your eyes."

A/N:

Please review and let me know if you guys like where I am going with this. I'm not really sure if this chapter and the last one are any good, so I'm a little nervous posting this. So let me know if this chapter was any good, please.

As for Itachi's intentions in getting Sasuke to kill those girls, well, if you fully understand how I am using the word mettle, then you should completely get it and already know where I am going with this. If not, don't worry, cause it will become very obvious what his intentions are by the end of the story.

I found this chapter fun to right cause of how Sasuke teases Itachi. I would have kept writing, but this damn arthritis is acting up in my hands (yea, I'm 23 and I have arthritis. My friends find it funny too.) and I just can't type anymore. So you'll have to stay on the cliff hanger while I make a note in wordpad as to what I was planning to write next. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: nope, don't own Naruto.

A/N:

To psychopathiccat and Nakunaru Hikari- thank you for the suggestion of open office. I will have to check it out when I have some extra time on my hands (extra time I am not using to write, that is. lol.). I'm not sure if it is Vista compatible, but if it is, I will definitely download it. :)

As for the verb tenses, my use of present progressive in the flash backs is actually done on purpose. The flash backs is what Sasuke is remembering and reflecting on in the present from the past, and the fact that the memories are being remembered in the present is why I am using present progressive... though I am not sure if I am correct in doing so. My grammar mistake is actually using past tense every now and then in the flashbacks. Either way, I've never been really good at keeping my verb tenses straight, and it is really distracting for me to consentrate on the grammar while writing the story. It is also something I don't focus on heavily when proofreading (the content and spelling being the focus). If this was English class, I'd make more of an effort, but it is my fanfics. I've chosen long ago to sacrifice grammar for the sake of the content being the best I can give. So please, bear with me on the grammar, and I apologize for it. I hope it does not make it too difficult to read.

To Starsurfer- It's kind of funny to me that you find parts of my story comedic. I've always been told that I have no sense of humor at all (or that my humor was really dark). The mixture of angst and happy ending elements is due to the theme, not the ending I have planned. And judging by how good you seem to be at interpreting literature, you are probably right about what the theme is (although you have me curious now as to your guess).

Also,... is just slow. The chapters were posted on two separate days. :)

And I thank Missy and Kaline as well for reviewing as well as a thank you to everyone else!! Much love! :)

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Itachi released my throat, and I greedily sucked in the air, my chest rising in labored movements. Itachi caught the front of my shirt and held me up with it against the tree, his body still pressed hard against mine. I could feel the blood of his eyes burning through my closed lids. His breath came over my face in a swift movement with each word he spoke, as his next words sent a chilling flood over my skin that crept down to my core.

"... Open your eyes."

Chapter 6- Stranger In My Presence

I stood there, back pressed against the hard tree, as an image of the tsukuyomi danced in my mind behind my closed lids. I pictured my clan slaughtered, falling before me as I stood there, helpless and weak. I pictured my brother standing over my parents' bodies, bathed in every drop of their blood. My body shook violently beneath my brother's grip, as my body chilled with their death, and the shadowed images of the past began to blur in my mind, the image being to much for my mind to hold, and their deaths quickly faded into a dull burn of rage.

"Open your eyes, Otouto." My brother's voice was deadly calm, a hint of impatience in it daring me to ignore him.

I felt his hand slide up the front of my shirt, as the icy grip returned to my throat gently holding it. The thought amused me, and I had to hold back a laugh, as I pictured death gently holding my throat. I took in a deep breath, my effort pushing my hot skin against Itachi's cold hand tightening his grip, and then loosening it as I exhaled. I readied my body, calm my mind until I held it perfectly, and then slowly slid my eyes open.

Itachi's mangekyou eyes stared back at me, and I stared back into his powerful gaze. I slowly began to realize that I was lying in a bed and Itachi was leaning over me. I broke my gaze from his to take in the room, only to realize it was my parents' room.

I blinked hard, as if trying to force the image to leave, but no matter how many times my eyes opened, the room was still here. _But why?... why would he?_ I felt Itachi's icy grip slide from my neck down to the collar of my thin shirt, and in one swift movement he ripped downward dividing it in two. My eyes widened at the implication, and before any thoughts could set in, the pure audacity of the action sent rage boiling beneath my skin thawing my body beneath Itachi's cold touch.

My head snapped to Itachi, my eyes glaring at him as the anger began to fully set in. Itachi's face was unusually calm... even the furrow of the brows was missing, as the perfectly relaxed muscles sat frozen beneath the skin as if his hands were not gripping the front of his little brother's pants in our parents' bed. I could feel my soul tremble beneath this flesh, as the deadly venom began flowing through me.

"Let go of me!" I shouted, voice shaking with rage.

Itachi stared hard at me, face still inhumanly calm. He tilted his chin upward in superiority, daring me to stop him, as he began unbuttoning my pants. On an impulse, my muscles tightened in my arm prepared to slap that calm expression from his face, but my arm did not budge. Confused, I tightened the muscles in my other arm, then in both simultaneously. Panic began to set in as I tried desperately to sit up, move something. The muscles tensed painfully in my body, burning beneath the skin from the effort, and then fatigue began to overtake my body, forcing them to relax.

Slowly, painfully, with every effort I could muster, I lifted my head, the fatigued muscles of my neck groaning as I glanced downward at my body. I laid there fully naked beneath Itachi, and with no restraints. Exhausted, I laid my head back down. My mind began to race, my heart beating in perfect sync with my speeding mind. The full reality of the situation began to set in... _I cannot move my body._ And panic gripped me tighter squeezing my chest deeper into the mattress.

I began to scream at Itachi, desperately, "What did you do to me?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!!"

A single digit pressed against my lips, silencing me. All I could do was lay there, my body like lead thrown to the road side. The fear held me securely, hastening my body with every sensation telling me it is a threat. My breath came out quickly around that sinister finger, warming its icy touch. And in that moment I was sure my lungs would collapse, because nothing can hold under such a tight grip, and as if knowing this the panic only squeezed tighter.

"Calm yourself Otouto." Itachi said calmly, as he lowered his cold naked body onto mine.

My muscles tightened as if preparing to move from beneath him, but my body remained despite how I was crawling within it.

"How can I stay calm? I can't move!" I shouted back.

"Where is your composure?" Itachi's even, emotionless voice spoke over my corpse.

"My what-?" I gasped in disbelief.

Rage and panic began to tangle inside of me, spinning my mind out of control. I could feel the muscles tremble helplessly in my skin, trapped in this disgustingly weak body. _Why am I always so weak?_ And it was then that my mind stilled, staring at those blood red eyes, dripping with my clan's blood. My focus turned to those powerful eyes, and I could almost remember it as it flickered in my mind...

I could remember those familiar eyes, as they held me strongly in their gaze. I could remember staring in awe into those eyes, amazed at the perfection of our clan's kekkei genkai. How those eyes would flash a moment of warmth only for me, no one else, and how that made me special to him. I could remember the adoration and love I held for my aniki, staring into those bottomless dark eyes that seemed to swallow me whole, and believing, no... _knowing _that those eyes would never harm me.

"You enjoyed this before, Otouto." That silky voice reminded me.

"No... it was different then..." I whispered, my voice cracking beneath the stress.

_You were different then._ I stared deep into those bloody eyes, while his hands explored over my chest, and I slowly became aware of his touch as my mind continued to settle on his powerful eyes. My breath hitched, as his icy fingers ghosted over my skin sending a wave of goosebumps in their wake. His hips settled into mine, and I felt his rock hard erection settle into my pelvis. And his attention was all mine. That coveted attention.

_I am certain, you were different back then..._ His mouth claimed mine, and I could not deny the sickly pleasure it shot through me. His tongue proded for entrance, and my mind froze, the first reaction being to deny it. I felt his hand slide deeper down my chest until it rested on my abdomen, gently massaging it. Without a second thought, I opened my mouth eagerly sucking his tongue into me, feasting on this newfound attention. I felt a strong heat rise inside of me as I moaned into him, his taste intoxicating me like a deadly venom, and a deep pleasure began to burn inside my chest.

_This is not you, this is not your eyes._ The kiss turned agressive, as he pushed deeper and deeper ontop of me. I felt his lips roughly force mine to match his, as the full contrast set in to all the ones before it. This kiss is darker, more aggressive, more _possessive._ And I chuckled into the kiss, knowing he is thinking of the girl, and how I kissed her,.. and how that jelousy must burn him.

_This is not your attention, this is not your kiss._ Itachi broke the kiss and looked deeply into my eyes, his bloodied ones burning into mine. His cold touch swept the sides of my private, sending a winter's chill over my body, quickening my breath. His fingers slid along my inner thighs edging them apart, and I closed my eyes, my body shaking inwardly with pleasure as a moan rippled throughout me. I felt his hardened passion rock into my hips, and it was then that I realized how hard I had become, as pleasure shot up my spine tingling my senses, and my mind spun. And I craved it, to be more of his focus, more graced with his attention, and I burned with hunger for it.

_This is not your passion, this is not your feel._ And it is all mine now, no one else to share this with. His cold hands slid back up my thighs, my heated skin quickly thawing the iced touch, as his strong hands gripped my hips and tilted my hips upward. I felt his rock solid manhood at my entrance, and the emotions spun deep inside me. I wanted nothing more than to eagerly rock my hips onto it, the thought of him moaning in surprise burning me further, such a foreign pleasurable sound. And this thought sickened me, sending disgust crawling inside of me, of how my _brother_ would moan in surprise. Itachi's grip tightened, bruising my hips, as he slammed me down onto him, and a low gutteral moan escaped my lips with the feel of him entering me.

_This is not your touch, this is not your fuck._ The pace was quick and aggressive, as he slammed inside of me mercilessly. And I could not remember it feeling this good before, as not a drop of pain touched my body. I opened my eyes, catching his scarlet ones and holding them in my dark ones. I felt a new breadth of disappointment, as I expected to see lust, passion, _anything_ in those eyes, but they were as empty as his touch. His face, still so deadly calm. And I felt the pleasure intensify, as he was only looking at _me _now, and I locked eyes with this attention I so craved. As his focus is on continually hitting my spot sending jolts of pleasure throughout my body electrifying my senses. And everything took on a new height, and I could see Itachi clearer, smell him sharper, hear his even breath, and feel him deeper... I could feel him so much deeper inside as the pleasure settled in driving my mind closer to the edge.

_This is not your depth, this is not your falling grace. _I tightened my muscles around my brother's unbearable heat, and obtained a new sensation as the added friction sent deep bolts of pleasure deep inside of me. I let out another low moan, as Itachi slid his arms beneath my back, his icy chill encompassing me freezing my blood and cooling my veins, as he pulled my body close to his and began pushing deeper into me, burying himself into my spot. And the pleasure and pain held me, as I felt his icy hold on me grow deeper, and his possessive hold on me came round full circle.

_This is not your love, or lack there of. _And I pictured this is what it must be like to be held by death, and have its icy grip on you, as my body began to cool unable to thaw such an icy grip. I could hear his even breath now so clear, as his head rested next to mine, and it became evident not a single moan was escaping. And my voice continued to compliment him with exceedingly needy moans and mews of pleasure, as the need to rock my hips back into his powerful thrusts became unbearable. My body became red hot, as a fire began to grow inside of my pelvis, and my focus became the new friction that was achieved by his hold, as his body began to slide over my erection sending jolts of pleasure through it that began to mix with the depth of his thrusts. I could feel droplets of sweat slide down my skin, further chilling his cold touch.

_This is not you, aniki. I know, this is not you. _My breath quickened, as the pressure began to grow inside of me, pulsating against my skin. _I am certain, this is a stranger crawling on me._ And I felt the pleasure elate inside of me, as the sensation of him sliding inside pushed me to the edge and I prepared to cum as I began to rest on the edge of that cliff looking down it, and a deep moan began to ride my lips. _There is no way you can be who you say, you are definitely someone else._ I felt his breath come across my neck, as he spoke to me in a calm voice, as if this were a normal conversation, as if nothing was happening here.

"Beg me to cum." And his breath chilled my ear.

"Mnmm, Itachi." I moaned, his chilling voice numbing my mind, and the pleasure dulling my common senses.

_Because my aniki would adore me. My aniki would touch me with love, and hold me with such warmth._

"I will hold you back." His calm voice assured me, laced with ice.

I felt the pleasure rack my senses, its intensity driving me mad. The friction of him inside of me became unbearable as the pressure in my pelvis felt as though it would explode, and I felt the desire to claw desperately on his back for release, as his powerful arms sqeezed me tighter. The sweat slickened our bodies, and he continued to slide over mine, his thrusts reminding me of his demand, as the pleasure became increasingly intolerable.

"Itachi, please." I begged in a needy voice. "Give it to me."

"Give what." Itachi asked calmly, a hint of expectance in his voice.

I paused, as the reality seemed to hit me of what I was about to say. My senses seemed to regain control momentarily, as the fact that this was my brother I was going to ask this of hit me, and the disgust washed over me quickly. I looked from Itachi's sweat slicked back to the wall, the wall of my parents' room. And there they were, Kaasan and Otousan standing at the foot of the bed. Kaasan in her long white kimono which is littered with blood, her head held gingerly in her hands outstretched, as if handing it to me, her neck cut clean to the hilt. Otousan in his off white kimono, a long single streak of blood across it, and his neck severed but not separated from his head. His head, how it seemed offset, almost unnatural from the cut, as his head took the appearance of a landslide. Their ghostly white skin contrasted to their dark matted hair, that pale skin which clings to their bones accenting those sharp skeletal bones beneath such thin skin. And they stood their, in their white purity, looking to me with blank, lifeless eyes, their mouths gaped open in accusations as if screaming to me from the grave of my treason...

And the room became ghostly silent, as my brother's, _my brother's_ icy touches and carresses sank into me chilling me to my grave, and I could hear it, as the blood seeped to the edge of Kaasan's fingertips, and rolled off to the floor, with every _drip,... splat,... drip,... splat..._

_I could hear her tears of blood, because she knows..._

I squeezed my eyes shut blocking out the image, as I felt my body slide into the pleasure that was Itachi. "Make me cum." I begged shamefully, my heart turning over with those spoking words.

And with that I felt the pleasure overtake me. The pressure exploded in my pelvis, racking my body as I trembled and exploded onto Itachi's chest. I felt the heat wash over me followed by the blinding white pleasure as it jolted throughout my body, and I moaned in gratitude as the familiar heat emptied itself inside of me followed by the pleasurable friction of Itachi sliding out.

And with as quickly as the heat came over me, it left me, as well as the chill of Itachi's presence, and I felt him release his grip on me as I fell to the ground. _The ground?..._

I opened my eyes, only to see trees and dirt instead of my parents' room. I blinked slightly confused as I took in the serene appearance of nature, and then felt foolish in Itachi's presence. Of course, it was only a genjutsu. Shaking, I pulled myself to my feet, a deep blush stretching over my face, as I felt the crotch of my pants pull from my sticky, wet body. For an illusion, it left me exhausted, and the effort to stand seemed to drain me further in the heat of the sun. Yet the hot air seemed to chill me further.

"You bastard..." I muttered, angrily. Angry for being toyed with, and angry for the lack of emotion he felt.

I stared at the ground, as I felt him lean in closer, and his icy breath graced my body once again with its presence.

"I am a better kiss, a hotter fuck," I felt Itachi grip my chin harshly, as he jerked my face up to meet his, and his lips seized mine. His mouth molded to mine roughly, as he bruised my lips with his forcing my head backwards into his hand, where he pushed my head forward even more into his mouth. And my lips felt on fire, while my eyes widened at the sudden intensity Itachi showed. And just as quickly as the kiss had begun, Itachi broke it. "Than the girl will ever have."

I stared wide eyed at Itachi, his calm unmoving face, so expressionless and still. It seemed as if there was nothing beneath that cold exterior, and the blank eyes he wore seemed to come from a realm beyond the living. And Itachi calmly looked back, as if the intensity he just expressed never even existed, as if it was just another illusion casted inside my mind. Could he really be that jelous? Could there really be that much inside of him over one kiss? _No... this is not my aniki... this is a stranger... I bet he doesn't even know... I bet he does not even remember..._

"When did we first kiss." I demanded, the cool air I breathe in cooling my hot lips. My face flushed at the question, but I had to know, I had to hear it from him. _And maybe he really does not remember..._ my heart raced at the thought as anticipation squeezed me tighter.

Itachi stood calmly, unmoved by my request, so still and expressionless I began considering him as some image from a new genjutsu that had been cast upon me. Then his smooth, even voice formed an answer, speaking it slowly, matter of factly, with a lack of emotion only Itachi could answer such a question with.

"You were five." He paused, taking in my surprised look with expectance, a satisfied glint showing in his eyes as he finished, a hint of discontent etching the edges of his eyes. "You were on the counter."

I blinked slowly and shook my head, trying desperately to form some opinion, and in the moment I opened my eyes from the blink, he was gone. I blinked a few more times to assure myself of his absence, before I leaned into the tree and sunk to the ground exhausted. My mind still felt as if it were racing, while everything else seemed to stand still.

I thought of those eyes, how they held me on my parents' bed- _no, that was an illusion Sasuke_- how could it be on their bed, why there? Why?-_ no, it was just an illusion, you did nothing wrong- _and he is your brother, remember- _no, that was a stranger, aniki wouldn't touch me like that, aniki would treat me better-_ your murderous brother, and now they know-_ kaasan, otousan- _they know your filthy secret, they watched you cum with him- _they are dead, they saw nothing-_ they heard you moan his name- _they are dead, they are dead-_ and if you don't kill those girls, he will do something much worse-_ no, no more blood, no more betrayal- _And then everyone will know your dirty little secret- _oh, god, it hurts..._

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I opened my eyes slowly, a blinding light overtaking my vision, and I squeezed them tight hard, moaning as I lifted a hand to my throbbing head. I began to sit up, a pain shooting through me with each movement, as I moaned again coming to a sitting position. Carefully, I reopened my eyes, my vision a blur, as it slowly came into focus and the blurs formed a very concerned Ryoko sitting in front of me, her brows knitted in confusion and concern.

"Are you okay, Sasuke? You know, you shouldn't sleep outside at night. The cool, night air will give you a cold." Ryoko said, almost scoldingly but her voice was kind and soft.

_'Itachi, I see you played with Sasuke while I was gone... what did you do to him?' Kisame chuckled darkly next to Itachi in the tree tops._

_Itachi remained silent, his scarlet eyes burning deeply into Sasuke, sliding over his body hungrily. The pleasure was all Sasuke's this time, and it only furthered Itachi's impatience to finish this._

"Not to mention, it isn't safe. What happened to you? Did you find someone?" Kira's voice was low, dangerous, demanding. The implication of the last statement was hissed.

"Kira! Be nice! Sasuke is not feeling well, can't you see?"

_Itachi's face remained calm, deceiving of his inner hunger, as he elegantly moved his hand steadily up to his expressionless face, his sharp empty eyes still holding his brother._

_"I reminded him." He answered calmly, in an even voice._

_"You reminded him?" Kisame chuckled, slightly curious. His dark eyes flashed with what that could imply._

_"He is a possession." The words were laced with ice, smoothly spoken as if it were common place._

Ryoko glared lightly at Kira, but the glare lacked menace. She leaned over a pot that was being warmed over a fire, and pulled a rag out of it. "Here, keep this on your head." She said as she brought it to my forehead.

I brought my hand up to the rag and slid my hand over it, our hands brushing. She brought her hand away and blushed lightly, a small smile forming on her lips. Kira scowled at her lightly, as her sharp eyes focused on me in a suspicious gaze. I felt my pulse quicken lightly beneath her eyes, as I calmly concocted a story in my head.

_"And what about those girls." Kisame gripped the handle of his sword eagerly, imaging the feel of the sword as it sliced through their flesh. "Let's kill them now."_

_"No..." Itachi responded calmly, his sharp eyes cutting through the thick forest down to them. "I am not finished."_

"I just needed some fresh air. I was in the woods when I was attacked by this man. He used a genjutsu. I was able to release it, and he left. Then,.. I must have passed out."

"Oh, he must have heard us coming. Kira woke me up and we came to get you. And you were already unconscious when we found you. It's a good thing you aren't injured really." Ryoko said, blinking in naive surprise.

She flashed her golden, lively eyes to Kira. "Hey, you think that was one of the men you sensed?"

And in that instant, I could picture Naruto sitting before me at his table inside of his small apartment, swallowing every word I said, and a sharp pain burrowed deeper inside of me.

_"I admit this is all amusing Itachi," Kisame began rubbing the hilt of his sword, "But when do we get to kill someone."_

_Itachi remained silent for a moment, Sasuke below and how he is looking at the red head now, before he spoke smoothly. "Their deaths are imminent."_

Kira narrowed her eyes at me, ignoring Ryoko. "And what about the incident?"

"What about it." I answered dryly, almost challenging her. "Why didn't you stop me? You were standing guard, weren't you?"

_"Delicious." Itachi said in a low voice, the cold tone chilling the evening air._

_Kisame chuckled, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You're gonna enjoy their deaths that much, huh?"_

Ryoko blinked confused, as she looked from Kira's narrowed eyes to my sharp challenging gaze.

Kira hummed lightly in thought before she broke our stare. "Fair enough. The sun is beginning to set and it will be night soon. Let's start moving. We have a lot of ground to cover." With that, Kira rose in one smooth motion and began walking towards the chosen direction.

_Kisame motioned to the red head. "Let me have that one. I want to see if her blood matches her hair."_

I pressed hard on my knees and forced myself to rise, ignoring the throbbing in my head. Ryoko's golden eyes followed my movements, rising with me. "Are you okay to travel?" She whispered.

"I'm fine. Let's go." I answered her curtly.

_"Her blood is mine." And the ice in Itachi's voice froze Kisame's words in his mouth, as Itachi stared with intent at Ryoko._

And we began our journey beneath the setting sun, as the darkness prepared to envelope me.

A/N:

I want you to know, this just may be the most difficult chapter I have written so far, which is why I decided to stop a bit shorter than what I wanted to. I feel drained emotionally from all I put into this one, and I hope so much that I got through what I wanted to get through. Sasuke was really hard to write in this chapter... and he is probably a bit OOC... but Sasuke is never fully in character when I write him, so, damn. I guess I'll get over it. I just hope Itachi wasn't OOC at all. Itachi is my fav character of all time, and it would really upset me if I let him get OOC. I don't think he did, so I'm posting this like it is.

I beat myself up for the longest time on whether or not to leave this line in the story : _I am a better kiss, a hotter fuck, than the girl will ever be. _I was oh, so tempted to cut that line out. I hope I don't regret leaving it in later after I post this chapter. Sasuke's question about when they first kissed is something I added at the last minute. I think it adds nicely to the chapter as a whole and kind of reflects on Itachi and Sasuke well.

This chapter was a lot more gritty than the other chapters, and the style reminded me more of my story "Heaven Forsake Me" than the prequel to this story. I was a bit surprised by this when I reread it. The choppy style and what not is something more reflective of my earlier stories than the newer ones, and I am not sure it is something I'm happy with having in this chapter, but I cannot think of any way to clean it up without taking away from the element of this chapter... but over all I am pleased with it.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: nope, don't own Naruto.

A/N:

couple of things I forgot to mention in the last chapter... the incident Kira was questioning Sasuke about was the incident of Sasuke holding the needle shuriken up to Ryoko's throat- at which point Sasuke counters by questioning Kira about why Kira did not try to stop him when she was keeping guard. Kira of course had no choice but to drop the subject at that point.

I also forgot to credit Panic! At the Disco with a line I sort of borrowed from them in the last chapter. It was very loosely borrowed from them and it was only one sentence. I say this because it was not a direct quote and I put the lyric line into my own words... and I actually don't think anyone noticed cause no one jumped me for not creditting them. lol.

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Chapter 7- Suspicions and Realizations

_I creep open aniki's bedroom door and peak in. The morning light pours into the room in streams creating tiny light rainbows on the moulding of the window. Aniki's bed is perfectly made, with the bottom corners of the bed sheets folded in on the mattress creating perfect hotel room triangles of sheets hanging just above the floor. I giggle quietly, and steal one last glance on either side of the hallway before sneaking in and carefully shutting the door behind me._

_I pause, taking in the much bigger bed of my aniki, before my six year old feet pad across the room to the bed. I push in on the mattress watching in awe as it quickly spring back into place. Aniki's mattress has always been so much springier than mine. I look over the bed sheets and find not a single crease out of place. At this point, I cannot take it anymore._

_Eagerly, I rip off my pajama top and bottom until I am only in my boxers, and then I leap onto the bed. I stand, the mattress beneath me contorting every which way beneath my feet threatening to throw me off. I let out one last giddy laugh before I began jumping on the bed. I laugh hysterically, as the bed throws me high into the air, the feeling of freedom bubbling deep within me. I squeeze my eyelids shut, and take in the new feel of being weightless in the air, and I wonder if this is what my aniki feels when he leaps through the tree branches on a mission._

_"Otouto..." A calm voice interrupts me._

_I open my eyes in mid flight, caught off guard, as me feet give out beneath me upon landing and I fall onto the bed landing in a sitting position. I look to my calm, expressionless aniki with a surprised and caught expression on my face, and a thin blush creeps over my cheek. My aniki crosses the room to me and stops before me as he lightly crosses his arms in a relaxed manner._

_"I just made it." He smoothly says. It is as if the words were meant to be scolding the way he crosses his arms, but the lack of emotion in his voice takes from it._

_This did not stop me from pouting though, as I sat on my knees on the bed and jutted out my lip hanging my head down low. "I'm sorry aniki. Please don't be mad... It's not my fault your bed is so much springier!"_

_"No excuses." My aniki interrupts his arms still folded._

_It is then an idea forms in my head and I giggle lightly. I stand suddenly and find that my height is indeed equal to aniki's. Eagerly, I stand on my tip toes and stretch my arms out above my head. My face lites up as my large dark eyes glisten looking deep into my brother's sharp dark eyes._

_"Aniki! I'm taller than you!" I shout._

_I watch, as his dark eyes trail down from my large sparkling eyes to my smooth hairless chest. My smile broadens at the attention he is laying upon me with his eyes, and I glow in it. I giggle again as I leap onto my aniki and throw my arms around him in a tight hug. I nuzzle him deep into the nape of his neck, as I breathe in deeply his scent. It is so warm in my aniki's arms, and I feel the safety they bring engulfing me as my aniki slowly wraps his arms around me preventing me from falling to the floor._

_"I love you, aniki." I whisper to him._

_And my heart leaps as my aniki's calm, strong voice whispers back._

_"I know you do, Otouto."_

_But it isn't enough anymore, brother. It was never enough. Such a lie to believe it ever satiated this hunger. And this stranger is not enough. And this slow suicide is wasting me. And how much longer..._

_How long?..._

_Please answer me, just this once, answer me not with silence..._

_But how much longer..._

_Will I be staring down this hole...?_

_Pull the trigger._

I follow behind Kira and Ryoko jumping from branch to branch. This simple act which use to take so much focus is second nature to me now, and I hardly notice I am doing it as my mind wanders...

Back to Itachi and my parents' bedroom, and back to outside of Konoha when it was our first time. How possessive he had been the first time with those eyes that were so much darker and daring, and how possessive he was this time wiht those blank eyes that hid all emotion. I think of those eyes full of discontent, and I wander when he changed so drastically, and when this new Itachi appeared with these new eyes... or was it me who changed, and Itachi has always been the same?

I find myself hungering for those eyes, and those flashes of warmth which shined through only for me, and those warm arms which would engulf me and hold me securely. And I think of what I would not give to have those arms back, and feel those three coveted words I so want to hear.

_It's not enough anymore... take Naruto. _The cold voice whispered from the past.

And I can taste it now, in the back of my throat, over my tongue, threatening to come up and spread throughout me... vomit, as my stomach turns with the notion.

"You okay, Sasuke? Your face is all red." Ryoko whispered to me, her golden eyes flashing with worry.

I looked to Ryoko, and Naruto was beside me now with his large blue eyes showing deep concern for me. _You okay, Sasuke?_ I closed my eyes and shook my head, as I felt the past spin to repeat itself.

"I'm fine. Stop worrying about me." I clenched my fists tightly at my sides. _Not again, I will not let it repeat itself. I am not killing another friend._

Ryoko scrunched her nose, her red bob cut hair blowing with each jump. Her golden eyes scrutinized me.

"You know, if you keep pushing people away, you're gonna end up all alone." She spat, a hint of concern still in her voice. "You can trust me."

_Alone..._

"I said I'm fine." I spoke louder now, more forceful, as my heart began to clench in my chest at the single word.

It was then Kira stopped suddenly in front of us, causing Ryoko and I to almost fall off the branch.

"It is near day break. We will rest here for a moment, then travel a bit further during the early morning hours before it becomes too hot." Kira commanded, standing tall with a single hand resting on her hip while she scanned the trees forward.

"Ryoko, you gather some branches for a fire, and Sasuke, you get some water to boil." Kira reached into her back pack and pulled out a large pouch of animal skin which she handed to me. "I'll gather some fresh fruit."

I looked from the pouch, then at the scenery around me and found I could not hear any water near by. Kira pointed to her left. "There is a river that way." I rolled my eyes and nodded.

"But isn't this a bit dangerous. I mean, you said there were people following us." Ryoko interrupted, sounding a bit unsure.

"I have not sensed them since we left the cave. They must have given up." Kira interrupted sharply.

I looked to Kira surprised. _Given up?... No, that can't be right. Itachi never gives up._

Ryoko was staring at Kira in surprise as well. _What kind of people track all the way outside of a town... and then just give up?_

Kira was eyeing me suspiciously. "Well... you going to get the water, or just stand there all day."

I glared back at her. "I was going to ask you the same about the berries."

Kira hardened her glare back to me, while I iced mine over in discontent. Ryoko looked from one and then to the other, before holding her hands out defensively. "Okay! Okay! We will all go get the stuff now!" Followed by a nervous laugh.

"Whatever." I turned quickly on my heels and jumped into the bush, Kira's eyes following me all the while.

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I dipped the pouch down into the cool stream and gathered up the water. The fatigue was beginning to set into my muscles from the travel, and I was surprised to find how far away the water was from our stopping point.

_I have not sensed them since we left the cave. They must have given up..._

"Hn. Yeah, right." I thought aloud as I watched the pouch slowly expand with the current of the stream.

I cannot even sense Itachi or Kisame... I've never been able to, but even so, I am _positive_ they are still following us. But then again, she is able to sense them, so maybe...

_It would lack pleasure. _No, he is definitely following us, if not just for the simple fact that he wants to watch me kill them. What is she up to...?

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Ryoko dumped the firewood in the middle of the clearing, and Kira opened up three cloth bundles filled with fresh fruits. Kira dug into her back pack and tossed one bundle of aluminum filled with smoked meat beside each fruit serving.

"Why did you send him to such a far away stream? There is a closer one over there." Ryoko nodded her head to said direction.

Kira leaned against a tree and sat down while Ryoko mimiced her. "I wanted to speak with you."

Ryoko flashed Kira golden questioning eyes, as Kira met her with sharp violet ones. She narrowed her eyes and set her face in a much more serious tone. Ryoko blinked a few times at her seriousness before giggling contentedly.

"Don't try those eyes on me, Kira. You know they don't work." Ryoko smiled back brightly.

Kira sighed, her eyes remaining locked on her partner as she exhaled with face etched in stone. "Listen, the boy is plotting something. I don't know what."

"Well, duh. I could have told you that." Ryoko giggled, her smile widening.

"I said listen!" Kira hissed sharply.

Ryoko turned to her surprised, eyes wide from the sharpness of her tone. "Did... something happen last night that I should know about?" She asked curiosly.

Kira met her bright golden eyes, her violet ones narrowing to sharp slits as she whispered harshly. "No, of course not. I was standing guard, wasn't I?"

"Right..." Ryoko whispered, then her bright smile returned. "Then relax, Kira. Everything is under control."

"Think about it. I mention two strangers following us, and yet he still goes outside the cave? And did he not seem a bit too relaxed when I mentioned their presence? I am willing to bet those two are his partners. He must be planning to attack us." Kira spoke low, eyes set in a serious stare with Ryoko's bright calm eyes.

"I doubt it, Kira. He has no reason to attack us. We have no bounty on our heads, we are not wanted by anyone, and plus he is traveling with us to collect a bounty. Besides, didn't you say they were no longer following us." Ryoko answered confidently listing off the reasons her partner is wrong.

"I lied. They are still following us. They never left." Kira answered. Surprise set in on Ryoko's face. "Don't you find it strange one of them would attack the boy and then leave when when we arrive looking for him?"

Ryoko blinked a few times contemplating it. "The person must have sensed how strong you are... I mean, you have a pretty massive amount of chakra, Kira."

"You really cannot sense them, can you?" Ryoko shook her head confirming Kira's thoughts. "The two following us are among the strongest shinobi I have ever felt. I have my doubts about either of them running from a couple of kids." Kira smirked a bit at the last word, the smirk contrasting with her serious eyes. "Right, Ryoko?"

Ryoko giggled, her golden eyes flashing with excitement. "Right. Sasuke would flip if he knew you were twenty-one!" Ryoko stopped giggling for a moment, and met Kira's eyes. "You don't think he knows what we are up to, do you?"

Kira closed her eyes for a moment, her eyes furrowing in deep thought. "Your point is valid... the boy has no real reason to have his partner's following us, and there is nothing he could gain by attacking us. I am sure he suspects something, but I doubt he knows what we are up to. My real concern arises from this; we were all divided just now, and yet his partners did not attack us. Why. It was the perfect opportunity."

All the joy and giddiness melted from Ryoko's face. "It's kind of frightening when you put it like that. I almost feel like I'm being hunted now." Ryoko scrunched her face in thought. "Perhaps he is waiting until we get the bounty, and then he plans on stealing it from us?"

Kira chuckled under breath as she opened her eyes, doubt showing through her serious eyes. "I doubt shinobi of that caliber would waste their time on small bounties."

"What do we do?" Ryoko asked a bit worried, as she bit down lightly on her bottom lip.

"We wait. It is all we can do. Just keep seducing the boy... you are doing a magnificient job, Ryoko." Kira smirked, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Ryoko blushed lightly. "Right... but I don't think it is affecting him as much as you think, Kira."

"It got him out the bar, didn't it." Kira closed her eyes, the smirk still riding her face. "All men respond to two things... an insult to their pride, and women. I couldn't get him out the bar by challenging him with a bounty, although that was no surprise. But we did get him with you."

Ryoko looked off to the side. "I don't know Kira... I don't think he likes me."

"He kissed you, didn't he?" Kira pointed out harshly, her eyes filled with annoyance. Ryoko's blush deepened. Kira watched the blush spread across her cheeks, as her eyes narrowed with each spread. "You are faking it, aren't you Ryoko?"

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I leap down to the base of the tree and hear the two girls whispering to one another. I look to each of them and notice the malcontent easily in Kira's eyes, as Ryoko's blush grew deeper and deeper. I focus my hearing, but their whispers are too low for me to hear.

My eyes lock onto Ryoko's lips, as she forms the words _Of course, Kira, I remember. I won't let you down._

I watch as Kira's eyes widen a bit, then narrow again. "Sasuke, you are back early."

I feel the focus on me, as I slowly move out of the shadows watching Kira closely, as her sharp eyes follow my every move. _She is definitely up to something... _I slowly sat down to the ground, my eyes burning into hers harshly.

And I feel foolish again, weak and naive, and I am certain Itachi must be laughing now at how foolish his little brother is, how easy he divulges his trust to people. And this made me glare are the harder at the girl. _Perhaps I should run away while they are all asleep. No, what would Itachi do if I ran? _Fear pumped through me at the thought.

A strong sense of betrayal washed through me, and I thought about Naruto and how his face twisted into pain at the realization, as shame entered me once again. This is what it feels like, remember? Remember the night Itachi betrayed you? And the feeling melted into the rage like a long lost friend.

"Well, boy, aren't you going to eat." Kira asks, her eyes flashing at me.

_So this is it? I am stuck waiting like Kira's dog until she acts on her betrayal? Until she makes a fool of me? What kind of game is this, Itachi..._ And his cold words reverberated throughout me... _**The games ended in the bar.**_

_He knew this was going to happen. _And I shook deep inside with rage.

"Boy? You are only fifteen, little girl." I shoot back venemously, my fists slowly closing in on a clump of dirt.

Kira's eyes flash, a sense of satisfaction settling in them. And it was then that my blood ran cold. I can see it clearly now, I cannot help but wander how long it has been there because the resemblance is chilling. The cold, satisfaction gained in those eyes from the suffering of others, the pleasure shining from them from playing others as puppets. These are Itachi's eyes watching me from Kira, and I can feel my soul tremble beneath them.

And as Ryoko wiggles slowly into a comfortable position beside her, I can see her shoot Kira a small smile before she reaches down for the fruit... and I no longer see Ryoko or Naruto sitting there, but a small child with dark hair and large dark eyes who bestows all the trust in the world on those maliced eyes with faith it will not be misused. I can see the child, sitting there in naivety, wanting nothing more than to gain the older one's praise and acceptance.

And I felt my body shake, as my heart clenches inside of me, and my heart beats like a warning drum in my ears begging me to just run now, run away from it all, before this hole I've been staring down decides to pull me under.

"Sasuke, are you okay... you are trembling." Ryoko asks, looking at me with concern, with those large golden _youthful_ eyes.

"I'm fine." My voice rattles, I did not realize how quickly I was breathing, and the words come out in a forced gasp.

I can feel the ground vibrating beneath my hands now,... or is that me shaking so terribly bad. I watch as the ground creates small spots in the presence of my sweat dripping from my body. And Itachi and I watch from across me, the young child sitting beside him and the seasoned killer, the brightness and naivety of youth and the poisonous wisdom of age, the unquestioning love in youth and the conditional love of age.

_And I ask you Itachi, what are the conditions of your love? And if it is conditional, then is it even love?_

I feel an arm around me now, and I instinctively lean into it. I can smell you now, Itachi, as your scent over powers me and spins my head with its intoxication. You are as warm as I remember you, and your heat radiates into me chasing away the chill from my blood, as it begins to flush my skin in the heat of your presence. Your soft hand cups my head gently, as it brushes the matted hair from my sweat laced face.

And as you spoke, I longed for your smooth, silky voice. The calm that lines the air when you speak, and the authority that envelopes your presence. And as you spoke, disappointment shot through me at your voice.

"I think he has a fever. He feels so warm. I knew we shouldn't have kept him outside while he was unconscious. The air chilled him." The tone was full of concern, and slightly scolding to her partner.

_Of course, such a fool, I am wearing Itachi's clothes, aren't I?_

"Fine then. We'll sleep here... I'll lay out the blankets." The tones was harsh, full of disappointment.

"It's okay, Sasuke. We'll rest here. Just go to sleep." Such a soothing sweet voice.

I could picture mother smiling to me warmly, such a bright smile full of no conditions or demands. And as the weight of fatigue overcame me pushing me into a deep slumber... I could have sworn...

_I smelled lilacs in the air._

A/N: Sasuke smelled Itachi cause he is wearing his clothes. I posted chapter six yesterday... and either is slow at updating or the chapter just wasn't any good. I usually get the largest bulk of my reviews in the first 24 h and then hardly any at all after the first 24 h. Its been about that long and no one has reviewed... which kind of surprises me cause I thought chapter six was my best chapter yet.

It is partially obvious where I am going with this, so I doubt there will be much surprise over what happens next,... but I think only a few of you will have suspected what happens after that, although I have hinted at it more than once.

Oh well, anyways, please review and let me know what you think. :)


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto.

A/N: sorry about taking so long to update this story. My computer broke. Also, I am sick right now and have been for a while so I just did not have the energy to write once it was finally fixed which took forever.

Rachel- the lilacs was reference to something I mentioned in another chapter of the story. Sasuke's mother smelled like lilacs (or at least she did in my fanfic) so when he started thinking about her, he thought he smelled her lilac scent. Sorry, I cannot say whether or not Itachi and Sasuke will be together in the end.

Tarn Vedra- ...I wasn't really aware I was being mean to Sasuke. This is an angst, so that may be why it seems like that. But Sasuke is one of my favorite characters so it is not done out of dislike for him. :)

Starsurfer- thanks for pointing out my uchihacest misspell in the description.

And thankyou to all who reviewed. I love reading them so much. I hope you guys like this chapter. If you have any questions just continue to ask, and I promise I will answer them.

Chapter 8- Release Me

_two hundred fifty one... two hundred fifty two... two hundred fifty three..._

_I sat, arms bound, head down, I could feel the ropes biting at my wrist as the cold stung my skin through my clothes. The smell of mildew and sweat and everything that is old filled my nostrils. I shifted slightly, the hard concrete scratching against my bare legs._

_two hundred fifty four... two hundred fifty five... two hundred fifty six..._

_The clock tick-tocked through the silence, deafening in such a still room, as I counted away the seconds. My breath was perfectly synchronized with it, and the seconds flowed through me exitting my body with every second I approached death just that much sooner._

_two hundred fifty seven... two hundred fifty eight... two hundred fifty nine..._

_I fluttered my eyelids open and slowly tilted my head up just a little... just enough to gaze through this thick darkness... through what little light this darkness continued to swallow... to you, brother. And you sit there calmly, with those cold maliced eyes shining through the dark like a demon, the strongest most deadly light coming from __**your**__ eyes. And you are watching me, waiting, satisfied, but for what?_

_five hundred... or is it three hundred?... what was it, how long, how much time..._

_**lost?...**_

_I twist my wrists trying desperately to free them, the harsh bond boring into my skin allowing the cold to sting me that much deeper. And you are still just watching, aniki, taking it all in with such apathy. I can see the the dark chew away piece by piece at the light, threatening to consume me in this black pit you have created for me. I open my mouth to call out to you, but the darkness swallows my voice._

_**desperate...**_

_I silently beg for you to release me, as I frantically wring my wrists inside the ropes. I can hear my breath exceed the tick-tocks of that damnable clock as time slowly runs down. And you are watching me with intent, those bloodied eyes burning through the darkness cutting through it to me. But I can feel the cold of the dark still gripping me, holding me in place. The sweat on my skin only intensifies this ice biting through me. And I wonder, is your intent to save me from this prison, or is it to kill me here?... or do you even care either way?..._

_tick... tock... tick... tock..._

_I watched as your arms shifted in your lap, the movements deliberate and smooth. I felt my body freeze, is this it? Will you finally release me now? I saw a shadow move into your palms, small and round, as you set the shadow by your feet. Light filtered through onto the object, and my breath stilled as the clock became just that much louder. Naruto stared back at me with blank lifeless eyes. His skin ghostly and clinging to his bones, his mouth fell open limply in hollow silence. I stared at Naruto, my life suspended for a moment in this time, as I slowly realized his head had no body._

_The ticks and the tocks boomed in my ears like my body's pulse, beating me through this chilling moment. I watched your hand settle over his face, as if shielding me from it, as you slowly stroked back over the top of his head possessively, in an almost loving manner. And a pang of jelousy shot through me as I watched from my cold prison how you bestow your attention on Naruto, who is so close to you right now. And I wondered if you would ever stroke my head in such a loving manner, as this jelousy seeded through my body._

_You rose before me, standing so swiftly and silently that I had to consider if you really stood at all, or if it was just some illusion in my head, as you began to cross the floor to me... and Naruto watched in haunting silence. You stand before me now, looking down on me, those scarlet eyes burning its cold flame, and I stare back in expectance. I expect you to release me now, I beg for it with my eyes for this stinging cold as bled through my every flesh and marrow and it now holds my heart waiting to consume it like a savory dish. I can feel its icy grip on my heart, aniki, and I stare up at you waiting for this final release._

_tick... ... tock... ... tick... ... ... tock... ... ... ..._

_But I can hear my time wind down to its final show... and you are still only watching, waiting, and is that discontent in your eyes now, aniki? I can see this discontent bleeding through those bloodied eyes, littered with the souls of our clan, as this cold darkness begins its slow squeeze on my heart. And it hurts, how my heart is clenching in my chest, twisting, turning, tearing, __**bleeding**__ before you. And will you release me now? Please,..._

_You lift your arm, as you slowly extend it out to me, and I can feel my heart still once again for you, as my breath catches in my throat and eyes widen. A single finger extends out as your arm stills before me, and you are pointing to me now as I sit in my place before you down on my knees. I watch as your lips slowly form the word... 'you,' and your eyes hold me in the deepest, darkest discontent. And I can only just shake my head as my voice comes out weak, forced. No..._

_"you and me..."_

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Ryoko sighs deeply as she trails behind her partner, her short red hairy bobbing in the breeze. "Hey, I think it's your turn to carry him now." She spoke through huffs of breath as she shifted the unconscious Sasuke on her back in a search for better comfort.

Kira flashes her violet eyes behind her, and chuckles lightly. "Keep shifting him and you won't have much left to reveal."

Ryoko innocently blinks a few times and glances down to see her short blue kimono had slowly crept up her thighs and was now riding just below her waist. A deep scarlet blush flashes over her cheeks as she quickly grabs the bottom of her kimono and pulls the cobalt garment back down to her mid thigh.

"Kira! You could've told me sooner! If Sasuke had woken up-" Ryoko is cut off mid sentence by a loud thump behind her. She slowly turns behind her to see an unconscious Sasuke sprawled across the ground. Her blush deepens as her golden eyes flash in concern. "Eeeeeek! Are you okay!"

"..." Kira's violet eyes narrow to a dull expression. "He's unconscious." She folds her arms in front of her and sighs. "Congratulations. You just knocked him out for the rest of the day."

I moan as I slowly blink my eyes open. My vision is a blur as it slowly slides into focus on a red head girl who is leaning over me inches from my face. I can feel her soft hand cupping the side of my face and as my mind clears, I can see the concern written over her features. Her worried eyes slowly fade into bright, vibrant lights as a smile spreads over her face.

I slowly look from her face down her body which is lined directly over mine with both knees planted on either side of my hips in a straddling manner. I look to her suspiciously as a light blush spreads over my cheeks. "What are you doing?" I snap.

Ryoko looks confused at first, and then her face began to turn every shade of red as she screeched and fell off of me sideways. "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! IT IS NOT WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE!!" Ryoko hugged herself tightly as her face continued to redden to shades I never knew existed.

I sit up gripping my ears as the painful ringing of her shriek faded to a dull buzz. "Whatever, just quit screaming."

I gave my head a few more affectionate rubs to dull away the soreness. A flash shot through my head, an image of Itachi affectionately rubbing Naruto's head, and a pang of jelousy. And I wish this was Itachi's hand stroking my head...

"Are the two of you done?" Kira's serious voice echos through the commotion.

My eyes shift upwards to the brunette who is clad in black. Her violet eyes were eyeing me in annoyance with arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently.

"Sorry Kira." Ryoko muttered as she stood slowly clasping her hands in front of her and head in a slight bow.

"Just where are we going anyway." I spit as I stand up with Ryoko dusting myself off.

Kira was silent for a moment as she studied me intensely, her eyes scrutinizing every part of me. And I felt for a moment that it is Itachi studying me so carefully, as I glare back as strongly as I could into those violet eyes of her, a cold chill crawling up my spine at the thought of Itachi watching me so closely. And if they were blood red, her eyes could easily pass for Itachi's. My glare deepens at this knowledge, as I made it as venemous as possible.

Ryoko glances from Kira to me, then back to Kira. "Umm, guys?" She mutters in confusion.

Kira looks me over once more before she snaps her head to the side. "Hmph. We just left the River Country. We are in the Fire Country headed for Lightning Country. That is where our bounty is."

_Fire Country..._ My eyes widen in shock as every muscle in my body refused to move. I could feel my pulse quicken beneath my skin as the new knowledge paralyzes my senses.

"Is something the matter, boy?" A small smirk forms at the corner of her mouth.

My eyes lock onto that smirk as they slim back down to a scowl. My calm composure returns to me as my muslces relax. "I'm fine... so we will be passing near Konoha then, correct?"

The smirk remains on her face as she slightly nods. "Of course. We are headed for Lightning aren't we? It's the quickest path."

With that, Kira turned quickly on her heals and motioned us forward. I watch her for a moment, her brown french braid swaying across her back, before I followed her with Ryoko.

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"Heh... that lying vixen." Kisame smirks as he watches the three leave from the tree tops. He grasps the hilt of his sword lightly, shifting it across his back. "I'm sick of waiting, Itachi. Samehada has not seen battle in a while. Why are we always waiting?"

Itachi is silent for a moment as he humms lightly in thought tilting his head while looking down at Sasuke. "It appears the stakes have risen."

Kisame glances to his partner, his shark-like teeth shining like razors in the moonlight. "So you think she is bringing him there, too?" Itachi remains motionless in the dark of the night, nodding his head so slightly the motion could have never existed.

"Hmph." Kisame looks back to the three travelers. "I say we take them out now."

"Eager, are we?" Itachi speaks calmly, as he rises from his crouched position on the branch. He leaps onto the next branch and begins following the pursuers, moving silently through the night air.

Kisame frowns a bit as he watches his partner for a moment. _For being so eager to kill the red head a earlier... he certainly is calm now. I wonder..._ Kisame leaps onto the branch quickly catching up to Itachi.

"This is a dangerous game Kira is playing." Kisame speaks in a low, deep voice, eyeing his partner in interest. His smile becomes eager, waiting to hear a piece of his partner's intent.

Itachi remains calm, face expressionless, as he regards the prey below him with apathy. His cold blood eyes watch them, carefully following their every movements. His voice finally answers Kisame softly, a hint of cold lacing them. "I am not playing."

Kisame's eyes spark with interest as he chuckles in amusement. "Then when it is time, I'll cut the vixen's legs off to keep her from running."

Kisame chuckles once more at the thought of a legless Kira trying to run, nubs kicking on the ground helplessly, while Itachi continues to watch the three travelers unphased by Kisame's bloodlust.

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"Jeesh! This is taking forever! Are we there yet?" Ryoko exclaims, as she let loose another yawn in the late morning sun.

"For the last time, no. You asking won't make our arrival any sooner." Kira snaps, a note of irritance in her voice.

"But we've been traveling all night!" Ryoko hufffs as she crosses her arms behind her head. She scrunches her face in disapproval as she attempts a rather poor glare at her partner.

I watch Ryoko, her arms crossed behind her head and face scrunched, and an image of Naruto flashes into my mind, arms crossed behind his head and face scrunched with eyes in small slits of annoyance. A chuckle lightly at the resemblance, as I watch the image of Naruto look over to me.

"What's so funny." Ryoko demands, a slight bit of curiosity on her face. "What are you smiling at?"

I could feel the slight warmth in my heart begin to fade as the image of Naruto aged with time, and the pang of guilt burrows itself a little deeper now. My smile fades as I stare at the phantom before me, and I began to wonder if her face will twist into disbelief and pain from betrayal when the time comes like his. And I lightly shook the image from my head.

"So you wanna sleep near me, Sasuke." Ryoko giggles, her golden eyes flashing with life and warmth. "We're camping here, right Kira? That's why we stopped."

"Mmhm." Kira humms as she folds out the sleeping bags. "Now help prepare camp, and stop flirting."

Ryoko blushes. "I'm not flirting!" She cries defensively.

I cannot help but stare at this phantom of Naruto, and I can still hear the clock ticking to its expire in my ears. These thoughts, these feelings, _-Itachi- _are killing me gently. When will it release?... It feels like so long ago, and yet it has only been mere weeks since I left Konoha. It feels like this phantom is just here to tease me, to remind me of my betrayal. Her likeness, the resemblence... the way those eyes are so full of life while mine slowly ticks away...

"You going to help, or not?" Kira asks me calmly, almost too calm. Her eyes regard me as I begin to silently gather some loose wood for a fire.

"If you keep ordering me around, you can do it all yourself." I snap at her coldly.

"Yeah, but that would be so boring." Ryoko adds lightly. "I hate sitting still. When I sit still, I have to think about things. It's much nicer when things are in motion, when I don't have to think about what I am doing or what is happening..."

My hand froze on the wood as my fist clenched it tightly. I could feel the wood threaten to give beneath my grip as my muscles clench and stomach turns over violently. Her words seep in deeper with every breath I take, my pulse threading quickly beneath my ghostly skin, and my knuckles paled to white over the wood.

"Do you know what I mean Sasuke?" Ryoko smiles sweetly, unaware of how she just tore me asunder. The life in her eyes shining like a beacon over the deadly waves that are drowning me now, a light I can never obtain... just like Naruto's.

"You don't make any sense at all." I shot to her, a light glare in my eyes.

Her face contorts in a hurt manner, while she looks away sadly to her blanket she just laid out, and for a moment I felt guilt for causin her such pain. I thought of what has been set in motion, and how painful my muscles are clenching them, and how I would love to just keep running deep into the Fire Country, the motion of my legs silencing my mind.

I would love to run away from this nightmare...

I suck in air greedily and shut my eyes, forcing my death grip to release from the wood as I focus on relaxing my muscles. I gather the wood and move towards Ryoko, throwing the wood into a pile.

Kira look at the pile of wood and sigh. "Didn't anyone teach you how to build a fire." She then begins to arrange the wood properly.

I move my blanket near Ryoko's and sit down on it. Ryoko looks over to me slightly confused. She blinks innocently as a light blush forms on her cheeks.

"I'm sleeping near the fire. Don't get too close to me, got it." I say in a commanding voice, as if I was giving a decree.

Ryoko looks at me for a moment, her golden eyes watching me shining with a life I could envy for the rest of mine. Then realization settles into them, and those golden gems flash with vigrance. She giggles as a red tint darkens her cheeks a bit more. "Of course Sasuke. I understand."

"Then goodnight." I mutter as I lay down on my back folding my arms behind my head. I stare up into the late morning my sun and then squeezed my eyes shut against it, the sun's red light shining through my lids.

Perhaps if I sleep long enough, I can wake from this nightmare somewhere far away. Perhaps if I focus hard enough, I can release myself from this prison and Itachi will vanish forever, that apparition, I will be free from this dream. I will find my way out. I clench my fists beneath my head, a pulse forming in the tightness of my hands... _Itachi... _I envisioned us younger, a child of my likeness riding on Itachi's back smiling brightly... _you and me..._

Now time to sleep... release me.

Itachi watches his little brother from the trees as Sasuke's eyes slide closed, his face calm and eyes calculating every next movement to make. He whispers low, his voice taking on the calm depths of the ocean.

"Sleep well, Otouto."

A/N:

A reminder to all, the characters travel at night when it is cool and sleep during the heat of the day. I hope the clock thing in the beginning was not too cheesy... I just thought it would fit well with the theme.

I'll leave you to decide how Itachi meant the 'sleep well.' Lol.

Please review. :)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: nope, don't own Naruto.

A/N: Oi, why is everyone around me sick? Why does everyone keep getting me sick?... but at least I'm off for a couple of days from work and I can just relax and do as I please... :)

Kisame: Hey, Itachi! Why do those kids get to eat real food?

Itachi: crunching on a soldier pill

Kisame: I'm sick of these pills! I want some eggs and bacon... drools

Itachi: ... I have a fish I smoked into jerky before leaving... pulls fish out of rapper

Kisame: !! thinks to self... _that fish looks familiar..._

Itachi: want some? I got it out of your fish tank.

Kisame: ... !! ... ! ... NO! Aunt Kiko!! YOU BASTARD!!

Itachi: ...

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Chapter 9- Illusions

"Are we there yet?" Ryoko whines for the millionth time, golden eyes flashing with growing boredom.

"For the last time... No!!" Kira huffs, increasing her speed of travel to match her impatience.

I suck in a small amount of breath as I exhale. The growing conception in my brain that I have run too far. I have tried to escape for too long, and now it is catching up finally... and my mind spins as the scenery grows increasingly familiar.

_I giggled as I shoved my seven year old hands into the snow. The wet cold stung through the cloth gloves for a moment, followed by a warm chill as the ice melted near my hot skin. I giggled again and scrunched my nose up as snow flakes landed on my face. The snow bit and licked my skin, creating small red spots across my snow white skin. I licked my lips again as the cold continued to redden and burn them._

_A large pair of hands grasped my wrist and lifted my hands gently out of the snow. My eyes fluttered upwards to meet his calm, dark eyes gazing down at my large shining ones. For a moment there, I could only stare into his eyes. Brother's eyes were always so dark, and if I looked long enough, I was certain I could drown in the depths of those bottomless black orbs. And such was the case today, as he held me silently in my place while his eyes darkened beyond reason as he eyed my cherry red lips._

But if you had tried to run from these girls, he would have caught you. My mind sings it to me knowingly while his command to murder them echoes in my head. But you did not even try to escape from this... you are not even fighting his command... and you know you won't even try to protect Ryoko, you coward, just like you did not try to protect **him.**

A flash of Naruto in my head, his blonde hair, how his eyes squint when he smiles, the whiskers on his face. I can imagine how his eyes lit up with life, and how he looked at me with adoring trust. _Are there people you love, Naruto?_ I can hear his laugh, as annoying as it is to me, and I can see his confident smile, as he gives me the thumbs up... the closest to approval I have ever received from anyone. _Why, Sasuke? Are you and Sakura in trouble?_ And Naruto said he loved me, as indirect as it was, it is closer than any admittance **he** ever gave.

_"Aniki?" My young voice questioned him, as a pleasant chill ran up my spine, one I can still blame on the cold._

_I watched his dark, hungry eyes stare at me, his face calm and stoic. I sat there, near giddy, as I bathed in his attention eagerly drinking up every drop of it. The cold gnawed a bit further on me, and I ran my small red tongue over my raw lips darkening the cherry color even further._

_"You shouldn't tease, Otouto." His voice was notably lower, dangerously calm, as his face remained still eyeing my lips closely._

_I squirmed beneath his stare, my energy beginning to dislike his strong grip on my wrists. I screwed my eyes in confusion. "I'm not teasing you!"_

_A flash shot through the depths of his eyes, one so quick that I would have missed it had I not been looking for it. And in that moment I felt special, my emotions elated me to a higher plain as I soaked myself in this moment of attention. Aniki was finally watching me, not Shisui. This is my moment, and nothing will take this from me._

_My brother leaned in closer, until his breath blew over my face warming it. His eyes held mine, and I lost myself in their depths. "Then give me." Came his calm reply, as he eyed my lips hungrily._

A light blush drew across my cheeks, as sickness settled in my stomach. Why can I not stop thinking about Itachi? The farther I run from him, the more he fills my thoughts. The girls are arguing again, and I can hear Kira's voice as she grows increasingly angry with Ryoko. I watch Ryoko's back, as her red hair bobs behind her in the breeze, and the blood seeps into her blue kimono from where I knifed her back.

I gasp sharply, my heart quickening, pounding against my chest. I close my eyes tight and shake my head violently erasing the image, and open my eyes. I stare intently at her back, her unharmed back free of blood, as the sweat rolls down my body. The night air seems to have chilled suddenly, as the air bites through my damp clothes. I take another shaky breath, as I tell myself, you can still turn and run... they are arguing. They will never notice.

But I am not turning to run. Despite all the running I have done, how far I have run from Itachi, from my troubles, how I have tried desperately to just lose myself in the run, to banish all my problems from my thoughts with the feel of the forest floor and the speed of the wind in my face... I have not turn to run from this, or to even try to.

And I have to ask myself,... why am I still here?

_And the thrill, the excitement, the knowledge that Itachi's eyes are on my, my aniki, my hero, it went straight to my head in a euphoria stronger than any drug I could take. I giggled excitedly as I lept forward past his descending lips and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck burying my face in the nook of his neck. I then squeezed hard to the extent that would have choked any normal person._

_"I love you, aniki!" I squeeled excitedly, squirming against the warmth of his body._

_My brother's strong hands came to my shoulders and gently pushed me down away from his body. I frowned, as I squirmed harder against his body rubbing him against me harshly. I felt his body tense against mine for a moment from them friction, and for a moment I thought I had won as his grip laxed... but then he gripped my shoulders harshly and shoved me back._

_I stuck my lip out at him as I stared up into his empty, dark eyes in disappointment... and then it occured to me, that he was not smiling. His face was calm as ever with his skin a ghostly white in this winter snow. There was no redness or flush of life on his face. It was as porcelain and pristine as a doll. His muscles were not the slightest bit tense, and there were no lines drawn in his face for emotions save the two lines that descended down his cheeks from his eyes giving him an aged appearance far beyond his years. And his eyes,... his eyes were as dark, emotionless, and empty as ever._

I suck in the air greedily, the breath forcing life into me with each intake, as I exhale shakily. I mentally relax my tense fists as I watch Ryoko's back. And I realize, that it has never left me. The look of pain twisted onto Naruto's face from my betrayal,... a look of pain I have never seen beyond my own face. And I can still see it clearly, the look of impending death in his eyes, the searing pain... and I can feel the guilt swallow me again as I watch Ryoko's back.

And even if all other knowledge is unknown to me, and all else in the universe remains a mystery, this I do know... If I betray her, I will surely die inside.

And my heart clenched as I fisted my hands, my nails digging into skin. It is this pain that assures me, I am still alive. I can still make a choice, and I can still survive this knowing hell.

_"Aniki... why don't you smile." I asked, as I stared up at my brother, questioning eyes glistening through the winter's snow._

_The look Itachi gave me from this was unreadable. His face remained calm, completely still and void of emotion. He tilted his head lightly to the right and slowly blinked his empty, black eyes. He looked to me calmly, as he remained completely silent regarding me in the cold whistling wind of winter as it whipped across the ground. And I thought for a moment that perhaps I had asked a taboo, as he just sat there looking at me calmly with no expression, and I squirmed under his void eyes._

_"Why do you ask." Came his calm reply._

_And I could have glared at him as I huffed in annoyance. But I can never glare at my aniki. It is difficult to glare at those you hate. "That's not an answer aniki! Why don't you smile!"_

_Because you never smile... In all these years, I cannot recall a genuine smile._

_This silence continues to reign between us. It is polluting, how silence kills so gently what love could endure if so given a chance._

_"Happiness is an illusion..." And his voice came to me, spoken from the dead as if it holds knowledge of life. "...just like pain is, Otouto."_

The scenery is becoming increasingly familiar. The trees flow past me with memories of team seven and missions traveled to and from in the past. I suck in another shaky breath, as my pulse threads quicker beneath my skin now. It is dizzying, how the blood is rushing to my head. I can almost point to the areas where we once stood, where we once spoke together. The farther we run, the closer it is thrown in my face now,... there is nowhere left to run. The decision is now.

I stare at Naruto's back in front of me, as I chase after something I can never take back... and my stomach turns over into knots. I moan lightly, as I grab my gut, and I felt my footing slip from beneath me as I fell to the forest floor. The ground greets me unforgivingly, as the throb courses through my body, and I crawl to my knees, gripping my stomach hard.

"Sasuke! You okay!" I hear Ryoko call out as she lands next to me.

_Sasuke, are you okay? _I can hear Naruto echo from the past, and my stomach turns harder. At this moment, I would give anything to just stand and run, to run somewhere far away, like I have been doing since I left Itachi. I want to run again, and forget everything in the motion of the earth beneath my feet. But I cannot run any longer... all time has already been spent.

I clutch the ground hard as dirt forms in my fist, and I squeeze it menacingly. The muscles burn beneath my skin as the fire pulses throughout my body, and the anger is consuming... but it is all my anger, and i hate myself right now for even having to consider this, just like I considered Naruto for my own sake.

I jump lightly at Ryoko's touch on my shoulder. "Sasuke,... do you feel okay?" Her voice is laced with concern, and I can feel her watching me.

"Hmph, slowing us down again, boy?" Kira hisses in annoyance.

I suck in another breath, as I force my body again to relax on my command, and I run my nails back over the dirt as I release my fist and flatten my hand on the ground. My breath burns now, as the air feels raw inside my body, and my pulse echos a gentle thud in my ears.

"I'm fine..." I answer, assuring myself as well.

I glance up to Kira, and I can see her sending Ryoko a cold, commanding stare. I see Ryoko exchange a look of almost disappointment, pain in her eyes. _Pain..._ She looks to me with near pity, and disgust rolls over me at how weak I am, at how weak I must look to Itachi kneeling here in the dirt.

A flask is held infront of my face, and I meet Ryoko's apologetic eyes. I wonder briefly why she is looking at me like this, am I really this pathetic?

"Here, drink some water. You'll feel better." Comes her gentle reply.

And I nod, as I take the flask in a shaky hand. The mettle feels cold from my sweat, as I grip the cap in my slick fingers, squeezing it extra hard to unscrew it from my sweat.

"Thank you." I whisper as I bring the flask to my lips... and I have to wonder, when was the last time I thanked someone.

_Pain..._

_"An illusion?" I asked my aniki questioningly._

_I stared into the endless depths of those eyes, as he slid the gloves off in one smooth motion. I felt my brother hold my hands, and I was surprised at how much colder they were than the air around them. I watched almost in a trance as he brought one hand up to his mouth, those pale lips encircling my finger tip, and he held my finger there between those lips gently,... almost too gently._

_I felt a blush spread across my cheeks, as I thought how loving it must be for a brother to kiss his little brother's hand. I felt the inside of my chest warm at the notion of the loving gesture, and how special I must be to him for aniki to do this to me. And then a searing pain shot down the tips of my fingers, and I shrieked as I tried desperately to pull my hand away, but his grip was stronger than me._

_I could only watch as his teeth sank deeper into my fingertip, the blood trickling down my hand in a branching manner. Itachi watched me calmly, his face showing no effect from my struggle to free my hand from his mouth._

_"Aniki! Stop it! You're hurting me!" I pleaded._

_His eyes showed a light hint of satisfaction from my plea, as he stopped biting my finger and began sucking it instead. I felt his tongue as it traced the cut, and then began to twirl around my finger exploring every crevice of skin available. I giggled insanely as the pain quickly turned into pleasure as his tongue tickled my skin. It lightly occured to me... how strangely cold his mouth was on my skin._

_"Stop it!" I giggled innocently. "You know that tickles!"_

_I felt his grip loosen and I pulled my hand back quickly, still giggling lightly as I rubbed the tickling sensation from my hand. I glanced up to him adoringly, a light blush streaking my face as my large eyes glistened with affection to him, almost as if shyly thanking him for this attention while begging for more. And I could see Itachi's empty, dark eyes darken over even more from this knowledge._

_And it seemed almost unnatural the look on aniki's face. He sat there calmly looking to me, not a trace of emotion on his features, and those exceedingly dark, blank eyes holding me with an offset disregard. But this was just aniki, and it was not what held my attention. What I watched, fixated on, was his ghostly skin which seemed to pale even further as the dark, crimson blood seeped from between his lips, and then trickled down his smooth porcelain skin to the very base of his chin. Red on white, and it contrasted his unnatural perfection even further._

_"Understand, Otouto." I gasped at aniki's smooth voice, how it flowed like silk, as every spoken word allowed more of that scarlet liquid to paint his lips the deepest red and then flow down such perfect snow white skin staining it crimson._

_"An illusion..."_

_I giggled as I smiled brightly and leaned in towards his ear. And as I whispered into his ear, my breath brushing against the soft hairs of his neck, I could have sworn... and I wonder, was this just an illusion, some illusion cast by my emotionless brother..._

_When his breath hitched in his throat..._

I heard a crash as the flask was knocked from my hand and skipped across the ground spilling the liquid out of it before I could even wet my lips. I shot my eyes up in a glare to meet Ryoko's wide eyes who was staring back in surprise.

"What was that for!" I shout at her angrily, as I run my tongue along the inside of my dry mouth.

Ryoko blushes, as the surprise vanishes from her face. She clasps her hands in front of her hard as she looks to me again apologetically. "I'm sorry... I was just thinking, I would like for you to be happy." My eyes narrow further at her. "I mean, you never smile. Why is that?"

I gasp lightly, as I felt my entire body tense. _Aniki, why don't you smile? _I breathe deeply, as I collect myself and regain my composure standing smoothly from the ground. I stood straight, tilting my head upward towhere it would seem I am looking down on her. I clench my fists tightly, trying to give a confident, sure appearance.

"Aren't you going to answer me?" Ryoko answers quietly.

"No." I said forcefully.

"Hmph. So that's it then?" I glance over at Kira who was glaring at Ryoko. "That is the side you choose? Fine then. So be it."

Kira reaches over her head towards her back and then down into the back of her shirt. She raises her arm solely as she pulls out her kodachi (kodachi- a short sword that is two feet long). Kira sets her face into a stone cold appearance, as she stares at Ryoko with promises of death.

"I was going to make this easy. All you had to do was feed him the sedative in that flask... but you can't even do that right, can you Ryoko?" She spoke icily.

Ryoko flinches at the implication, as Kira finishes unseathing the sword and holds it directly infront of her, pointing it at Ryoko's heart.

"This isn't right! I don't care how high the bounty is on his head, he's a good person! We shouldn't hand Itachi over." Ryoko speaks passionately, in a pleading voice to Kira, tears beginning to brim her eyes.

I could feel the breath catch in my throat at the mention of my brother's name.

"Itachi... how do you know my brother!" I shout.

Ryoko looks to me in confusion, her eyes questioning. "Itachi, I don't know your brother." Ryoko then shakes her head as if shaking away the confusion. "Listen, you can drop the act. I know who you are."

I glare at her, the anger surfacing in me as I clench my hands at even the vaguest implication of my brother's name towards me. Ryoko reaches into her kimono and pulls out a flier that she holds out infront of her. I blink a few times, as if to blink away the illusion staring back at me, as the anger and confusion slowly vanish from my head.

Staring back at me on the flier is a picture of my brother as he was when he left the village. His face is much younger than he is now, and he appears much closer to my age. Written above the picture is his name and the bounty offered by the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Cutting your long hair isn't going to disguise you Itachi." Ryoko spoke matter of factly while giving me a 'I'm not that dumb' look.

I smirk as I let out a small chuckle. _Itachi... they think I'm Itachi!_ The chuckle became louder as I netted my fingers through my hair. The laugh is mixed with amusement and anger... anger at the thought of being confused with the one who murdered my clan. Anger at the thought that we still look that much alike.

"What's... so funny?" Ryoko mutters in confusion.

"That picture is five years old. That's my older brother, Itachi, you morron." I smirk confidently while harshly spitting my words through my angry smirk, as Ryoko begins scanning over the flier for the print date. "I'm a bit young to be Itachi Uchiha."

Ryoko blinks as a blush of embarrassment forms across her cheeks. "Oh..." She laughs nervously as she rubs the back of her head.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha." I say in a matter of fact voice.

"... I know that." Came Kira's cold reply.

Both Ryoko and I look to her in confusion. Kira is still eyeing Ryoko coldly.

"You... knew he was Sasuke? Then why did you suggest going after the bounty in the bar?"

_Ryoko giggled excitedly in the bar as she looked to Sasuke across from the table. Her eyes shone with mischief as she leaned over to her partner._

_"Hey doesn't that look like Itachi Uchiha to you?" Ryoko whispered in anticipation._

_Kira held Sasuke in disregard, and then a flash of realization struck her eyes. "Yes... he does look like Itachi, doesn't he..." Kira's eyes shone with intent, as she looked to Sasuke darkly. "How about we collect the bounty?"_

"Because you thought he was Itachi..." Kira spoke in an ice cold voice, as she took one confident step towards Ryoko.

I shot Kira the cruelest look I could form, as I grit my teeth. "What do you want."

"I want you Sasuke. You are far more valuable than Itachi." Kira took another step towards Ryoko.

"Why... why did you lie to me." Ryoko whispers.

I look to Ryoko and blink a few times. The look of pain and disbelief written across her features... I could almost see Naruto standing there, I could almost hear him whispering the question to me.

"You were a pawn. But now you are a broken pawn. Hn, so weak. You just had to fall in love with him."

"But... wait, you mean, you were..." I watch as Ryoko spoke, the shock straining her voice, as her face began to twist with the realization.

"Your usefulness has run out. Lord Orochimaru has new plans for me... a new role for me to gather information in. And when I bring lord Orochimaru Sasuke, my love will reward me to the fullest." Kira spoke hastily, the excitement poisoning her voice.

_Orochimaru..._ I briefly think to myself as I try to place the name with a face, and then a sickly pale face with purple streaks and long dark hair enters my mind. _He's the one that gave me this cursed seal during the chuunin exams. But what does he want with me?_

I watch as she draws her sword back, and then leaps for her attack head on. I almost laugh on the inside as she attempts to attack Ryoko head on with such slow speed. Even a genin could evade this! No one ever attacks head on...

I slowly realize that I do not hear any movement to my side, no attempt of Ryoko to evade the maneuvar. I look to my side to see Ryoko standing there in shock, staring straight ahead in paralyzing disbelief with her face contorted into anguish. It is then that it occurs to me... She is just going to stand there, and let Kira run her through.

"Ryoko!" I scream, as my mind and body separate from itself, and my body begins to move on its own accord.

I throw myself towards Ryoko as I wrap my arms around her still frame and begin to push her out of the way. In a split moment, I can sense Kira's oppressive chakra ontop of me, and I wonder how I could have yet to notice how massive her chakra is. My body continues to push her from the path of her sword, as my mind begins to scream to me how my time is ending, how if I do not pull back I will die.

And I can feel my heart beat stronger now, I can hear my breath clearer now, and all the senses around me, the grass and the cool night air, it all smells sharper now, and I can feel the moist air cling to my skin through my sweat as I feel the cold blade of the kodachi slice through my skin deep into my muscle.

And I can hear every thought that races through my mind, I can hear each individual one screaming to me now so clearly, as the pain numbs my mind while this blade cuts me that much more deeper...

But one thought screams louder than the rest, as it slowly drowns the others out.

_...Aniki... my love is not an illusion..._

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A/N: What Sasuke thinks at the end is what he whispered into Itachi's ear during the flashback. The flash back of Ryoko and Kira talking in the bar is from ch 4, I just added the words that they were whispering to each other that I left out in that chapter as to not ruin the surprise.

So there you have it. The truth about Ryoko and Kira. I hope it was not too drawn out and anticlimatic. Basically, Kira is serving Orochimaru in the Sound. Kira's role as a bounty hunter is just a cover she uses for gathering valuable information for Orochimaru in the many different countries and what not. Ryoko is not a servant of Orochimaru and is a real bounty hunter.

Sasuke does not know what Orochimaru wants from him. This story takes place after the chuunin exams but before the Sound Five visits him. In other words, in this fanfic Itachi got to Sasuke before Orochimaru could make his offer to Sasuke. So Sasuke was never asked to betray Konoha and come to the Sound by the Sound Five.

There are not that many chapters left in this story... in fact it is very close to the end. There will probably only be two more chapters.. three at the most.

I would like to thank all who have reviewed. Thank you so much! I love reviews! :)

And I'm glad the clock in the last chapter was not cheesy. The whole dream clock thing was more of a reflection of how Sasuke felt like he was being imprisoned by Itachi. It was meant to reflect how Sasuke feels like Itachi is slowly killing him on the inside.

This chapter was written a bit differently than the others, in that the flashback was written almost throughout the whole chapter. It is suppose to show how Sasuke cannot stop thinking about Itachi now that he is away from him, in contrast to the beginning of the story when he was with Itachi. When he was physically with Itachi he could not have dreams or flashbacks or memories, all he could remember was Itachi's eyes. /_Before it was nightmares of my clans murder, nightmares of what I lost... but now it is just his eyes in the shadows or the light, always watching me._/

Anyways, I hope you liked it! Please review!! :)

Kisame: hey Itachi, we've been sitting up here watching these kids for hours!

Itachi: What's your point.

Kisame: well, nothing, it's just that we've been sitting here constantly... 24 hrs a day... 7 days a week...

Itachi: And?...

Kisame: ... ... ... ...

Kisame: I got to go to the bathroom...

Itachi: ...


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Nope, do not own Naruto.

Chapter 10- The Test

I feel the cold, steel fang rip through my flesh. It is vivid in my mind, the contrast between the hot blood that spills through ravashing its warmth on the cold metal.

_Happiness is an illusion..._

The pain screams in my mind as it sears my nerve endings setting my body on fire despite the blade's ice.

_Just like pain is, Otouto..._

I feel Ryoko and I fall towards the ground, my arms wrapping around her protectively, and it occurs to me how much lighter she is than I am. Her body feels so much warmer than mine, and panic strikes me that perhaps I am colder because of death. I land on top of her on the ground, the collision sending a million shots of electrifying pain up my spine, and it feels as if the ghost of the fang is still gnashing its teeth in my flesh.

_Pain is an illusion Sa-_

Static enters my mind voiding out my name, as the pain spins my head, and I try desperately to hear my name on Itachi's lips... and it vaguely occurs to me in a passing thought that I cannot recall how my name sounds with his voice. I can not even remember the last time he spoke it.

"I see you are eager to die, boy." Came a condescending hiss from behind.

I feel a gentle touch to my lower back, and wince at the sharp pain that shoots through me from the touch. It is then that the heat begins to cool. It feels as if cool water is flooding through my lower back washing the pain away, and then Ryoko's hands left my back as well as the pain.

I lift myself off of her to see her golden eyes brimming with tears and a light blush covering her cheeks. She bites her bottom lip lightly as she stands with me, watching me with the pained eyes.

"Don't die for me Sasuke. It would hurt too badly." She whispers.

"You're a medic." I state in light surprise.

Ryoko shakes her head no, tears lightly dusting from her eyes. "Medics are trained shinobi. I'm just a bounty hunter who has healing abilities."

My eyes widen at the sound of a blade slicing through air. I quickly dodge to the left just barely missing the thrust of the sword and throw a punch towards Kira's torso which she blocks by grabbing my hand.

"If you think I'm going to wait for your conversation to end, you're _dead_ wrong." Kira spat at me with heated words.

Kira turns the blade on its side as she cuts it towards my torso holding me in place by my fist. I fall backwards as the blade slides just above me and I brought my foot up in a kick towards her from my new place on the ground, only to hit air.

I blink in surprise. _She's gone._ I gasp as I feel myself lifted up and become air bound as Ryoko jerks me off the ground in a mad dash. I only have a brief second to wonder why as an explosion rattles the air sending a gust of wind rushing past me from behind. Ryoko's grip releases from my shirt as I skip across the ground like a rag doll, the small stones in the ground ripping across my skin like knives.

I moan as I try to pull myself from the ground as quickly as possible standing on wobbly legs. I glance to my right to see Ryoko lying on the ground unmoving, and my throat tightens at the thought as I pray she is only unconscious while activating my sharingan.

"Pathetic little sister."

"What did you say..." I gasp, as I look to Kira who is glaring at Ryoko in distaste.

"Don't pity the weak Sasuke." Kira looks to me with cold eyes, and she speaks as if weilding a weapon with her words. "Ryoko knew I was working for Orochimaru. She allowed me to travel with her despite that knowledge. She just couldn't bear the thought... of living without her dear, older sister."

Kira laughs, and I am surprised by how light her laugh is. It sounds as if music is dancing in the air joyfully, and this only makes me grit my teeth in anger.

"Your lying. Ryoko said you lied to her." I spit at her.

Kira smiles knowingly. "But I did lie to her. I have always lied to her about the missions. Ryoko would never hurt others without cause,... but she would help her older sister."

I stare in shock at Kira, as an image of Itachi flashes into my mind, how he manipulated me to hurt Naruto. And I realize Ryoko is nothing like Naruto... she is like me. My body feels numb from the realization, and I turn my head slowly to face Ryoko again, how she lays limply on the ground, and in that instant I feel my back collide into a tree.

Kira grips the front of my thin, mesh shirt harshly burying her fist against my chest, and I turn my head to face her just in time to see her wicked smile and the sword slicing towards my throat. I gasp as I jerk my body downward to dodge it hard. My pulse pounds into my ears hard matching the pitch of the whistling of the blade in the air. I hear a dull ripping sound as I feel the bottom of my chin collide with the fist that was holding me to the tree. I hit the ground and quickly leap out from in front of Kira.

I glance back to see the sword driven into the tree deep and the fist that was holding me to the tree gripping the remains of my thin shirt dotted with bits of blood. I quickly realized that Kira didn't punch me, I drove my chin into her fist while dodging towards the ground, and I silently thanked whichever Akatsuki member chose such a flimsy material for the shirts.

Kira gives the sword a few jerks before accepting the fact that it is stuck. "Hmph." She turns to me with a sour look. "You shouldn't turn away from your opponent."

_She's so fast._ I think breathlessly, as I give the tree a thankful look for keeping the sword. I glance back to Kira only to see she has vanished again. _What!_ I quickly leap from my place without even knowing where she was only to feel another explosion. The air gusts past me forcefully and throws me against the ground. I pull myself to a kneeling position desperately.

"I thought I said not to look away." Kira's voice seethes from behind me.

Before I can turn to look at her, I feel a harsh blow to my back as a tree greets my face. I fall back hard, dazed, as my face stings from the bark. My back radiates a dull burn throughout my body from the blow. I turn to see Kira standing several feet away glaring at me. It is then the dull burn turns into a sharp stab that rips throughout me, and I grip my front roughly, my muscles clenching from the hurt, as I force myself to my feet.

_I have to do something... or I'm going to die here. But what?... There's no way I can keep up with her. She's too fast. _A small smirk forms on my face. _Perhaps I don't need to..._

"Do I amuse you?..." Kira hisses angrily. "Then it's time to stop playing, ne?"

_Playing?_ My sharingan barely picks up a shurikan flying towards me that I side step quickly. I feel the air rush by the side of my head as a sharp pain racks my skull. I grip the side of my head, wincing as the pain dulls to a soft roar just as a deep rumble erupts from behind me followed by soft crackles.

"Wha- But I dodged it." I gasp still gripping my head.

Sharp iron tingles my nose as I feel a warm liquid dribble from my nostrils. I hear Kira chuckles softly, the noise irritating my head as I wince.

"I condense chakra in the weapons I throw, and once released the chakra emits from the weapon in the form of sound ripping the opponent to shreds on impact... on the inside of course."

I feel my throat tighten as my eyes widen slightly, and my muscles tense at the implication. _She has already hit me how many times?... If she uses that technique..._

Kira smirks, motioning her head behind me. "Go ahead, look. I won't attack."

I narrow my eyes to her doubtfully, but the curiosity nags at me as I turn my head behind to see only ashes and bits of wood where the tree once stood. My mouth opens slightly as I stare in shock. My heart rate speeds instantly creating a dull thud of pain in my head as my pulse pounds in my ears.

"Still laughing?" She hisses from several feet behind.

What am I going to do?... Wait, she said she releases the chakra in weapons. Of course! _If she released it from her own body, she'd rip apart her insides too. _I click my tongue as I think a bit more. _She must not use it in her bombs or I'd be dead right now... or..._

_'When I bring you to Orochimaru...'_

I smirk. _She cannot kill me,... she needs me alive._

I turn back to face her supressing the smile from my face, as she smiles wickedly at me from across the forest.

"You planning to fight me, or just talk me to death." I snap at her sarcastically.

Kira's smile broadens as she glares at me. "That's the spirit. Choose pride over life, just as a shinobi should."

And with those words Kira seems to vanish infront of me, and I once again leap blindly away from my place without any knowledge as to her position, while I swallow the lump in my throat that screams my weakness.

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"Now seems like a good time to attack Itachi." Kisame growls eagerly, gripping the hilt of his sword.

Itachi eyes Sasuke's every move closely, and blinks in light surprise as he humms softly in approval.

"No." Itachi answers smoothly, his face calm and body relaxed as he sits reclined against the tree. "Watch my brother."

Kisame reluctantly agrees as he kneels back down to a crouched position, watching the battle with every muscle ready for an ambush.

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I narrowly dodge another shuriken as another tree erupts with a loud rumble which quickly quiets to a soft popping noise. I huff, heart pounding, as my body shakes lightly from the adrenaline. Sweat trickles down my face drenching my my body in a reflective sheen.

"Are you going to attack, or just dodge me all day." Kira laughs, as she leaps towards me again, seemingly vanishing before my eyes from her raw speed.

Kisame growls impatiently. "You knowingly set your brother against someone even I would have difficulty defeating."

I barely dodge Kira again, blindly leaping out of the way as her fist explodes into the ground next to me creating a small crator from the force. I land to the side facing her, my breath ripping my insides from the raw force of my gasps for more oxygen.

Kisame glances to Itachi's calm face which shows no intensity despite the scene below them. "Kira has your brother outclassed. Are you going to let Kira take him?"

Kira reaches into her black, leather pockets and pulls out more kunai, holding them diligently between her slender fingers while she smirks menacinglly. I rasp out my breaths, my chest burning raw from the air, as my pulse threads lightly beneath my skin rapidly filling my body with more adrenaline. I watch her raise her hands, my muscles trembling lightly from the excitement.

"Kisame, watch my brother closer."

"Your dodging may save you for now, but you are growing tired fast. Soon, you will not be able to dodge me. I suggest you quit cowaring and attack!" Kira spits as she leaps forward while throwing the kunai.

I leap to the side quickly, blindly, as an explosion sounds from behind me followed by more soft popping sounds. My heart pounds harder from the near miss as my muscles tense harshly, their soreness screaming through my body. I turn to see Kira standing where I was, and smirk, as I land and quickly pull on the strings.

Itachi speaks calmly, fluidly. "He may be outclassed in strength and speed, but she is outclassed in skill."

A sharp hiss sounds through the air as the strings speed through their surroundings closing in on Kira, until they wrap around her tightly constricting her movements into a cacoon. Surprise washes over her face as she tries desperately to free her arms from her sides, and relief washes over me as I see she is not powerful enough to break through these. I silently thank Itachi for giving me these stronger strings during my short time with him in the cabin.

"I have been attacking... this entire time." I smirk, as I smugly respond to her.

"No... there is no way your eyes could have followed my movements!" I screams angrily, eyes flashing in rage and confusion.

"I didn't have to." I speak confidently, slowly, as if speaking to a child. "You always landed where I use to be."

Kira narrows her eyes at me as her jaw set into a scowl and her face becomes cold. My eyes trail down to her hand which had begun moving, and I recognize the hand sign immediately before she even finishes. As fast as I can, I leap backwards jerking her towards me while I move. I see the surprise consume her face as she becomes air bound, flying closer and closer to where I was standing.

I watch as fire erupts with the sound of the exploding bomb through the air as the gust of wind rips by me throwing me to the ground violently. I moan as the back of my head whips roughly, and I barely hear Kira's name being yelled over the explosion. White lights dance in my vision as I stare up at the night sky, as a dull buzz echos through my ears and my body momentarily goes limp falling into the dirt.

I groan, as I force my sore muscles to comply with sitting me up. The pain ripping through them like burning knives, and I see Ryoko sitting in front of me, concern written over her face. I look past her to see Kira lying motionless on the ground on the outer rings of the crator. _So I didn't pull her fast enough to get her directly over the bomb._ I look back to Ryoko to see a small tear roll down her cheek to the tip of her chin, her bottom lip quivering slightly.

Ryoko cups the side of my face gently, as she rubs my cheek lightly. "You're burned." She whispers.

I nod slightly as I stand, Ryoko following me quickly, a light blush on my cheek at her open affection. I pull a kunai out of my pocket.

"What are you doing!" Ryoko gasps, golden eyes flashing wide.

"I'm finishing her." I answer flatly.

"No! You can't! She's my sister!" Ryoko screeches as she grips my armed hand hard. "Please..." She whispers.

My eyes trail from Kira's limp body to Ryoko's pleading eyes, small amounts of tears glittering her skin in the moonlight. Her eyes seem like a glowing golden star with the tears littering, and it strikes me for a moment that she really is beautiful, and I have to look away as a light blush forms from the thought.

"Fine." I snap as I roll my eyes. "I can't believe you still care about her after that betrayal." I feel her grip on my arm loosen.

A groan echos from across the ground. My eyes dart quickly over to Kira to see her body move limply over the dirt as she struggles to a hands and knees position. The dirt which covered her slides off her body in bloody clumps, as her body stills for a moment, then convulses violently as blood is forced from her mouth which a ragged cough. I feel Ryoko's hand, which still lightly grips me, tremble as she whispers her sister's name in shock. I can only watch in shock, as Kira tries to push herself upward, only to return to the hands knees position as another convulsion takes hold of her body followed by more blood.

"How weak." My brother's breath brushes over the soft hairs of my neck. "You are failing, Otouto."

My whole body freezes as my eyes slowly blink, and in that moment Kisame appears standing over Kira, his sword perched on the ground next to him as the bandages unravel from it revealing the sword's scales.

"Who... who are you." Ryoko breathes as she glances from Kisame to Itachi then back to the other.

I feel my muscles freeze further, as Itachi's cold breath continues to blow over the back of my neck. His fingers rest lightly on my bare shoulders, my sweat intensifying the ice of his touch, as his fingers ghost down the front of my chest sliding over the slick skin until they rest flatly on my toned abdomen, the fingers fanning out over my skin. His body slowly molds to mine, until he is pressing firmly against me. His breath is more intense now, and I can feel his lips tickling the hairs on my neck from the closeness, as he envelopes me in his icy grip, the cold consuming me.

"You're not that smart. I'm not even allowed to play with Itachi's little brother." Kisame speaks in a condescending voice.

Kira coughs, as she stairs at the dirt from her hunched position. In the strongest voice she can muster, she speaks harshly, her voice rasping from the blood. "Sasuke belongs to my love, lord Orochimaru, and no one else."

"Your love?" Kisame chuckles.

Kira lifts her left hand shakily, still facing the ground, as she flashes her hand upwards to Kisame. My eyes rest on her left hand, on her ring finger, which bore the blue Akatsuki ring with the kanji for void. It is then that it dawns on me that is the wedding ring finger. My mind drifts back to the memory of the bar I met her in, and how she ignored my question about the ring.

_'Don't play stupid with me! I saw you other partner already! I saw the ring!' _My voice echos through my mind from the past.

_The ring... is Orochimaru's. She's married to him?_ I think in confusion.

Kisame laughs loudly. "Orochimaru has brain washed you well, you sad pawn."

With a single sweep, Kisame easily raises the large Samehada and brings it down hard on Kira's back. I hear Ryoko shriek her sister's name as she begins to move towards her, and I quickly without even thinking grip her hand and jerk her back towards me. My eyes widen as Kira's back gives beneath the sword and bursts open, bending in a strange manner. A sickening crack echos through the forest, as her body begins to convulse while the sword rips through the flesh, and then it goes limp as the blood pools around her body. Kisame tears the sword from her lifting it back up easily, shreds of skin hanging loosely from the scales with clumps of red flesh shoved randomly under a few. Blood begins to ooze out from beneath the scales, trickling in a veiny pattern down the sword.

I feel Ryoko shake beside me in my grip, as I side glance to her. Ryoko's eyes are wide while she stares like stone at her sister's body in disbelief, soft tears falling freely down her face. And I find it strange that she makes no crying noises, not even the softest sob, almost like her body is too shocked to cry.

"Orochimaru is sicker than you, Itachi... making his daughter into a lover." Kisame chuckles. I see Ryoko's eyes flash in shock.

"Kira always was his favorite." Itachi breathes coldly against my neck.

I lightly shake my head as I look at Kira's ghostly skin and dark brown hair, such a dark brown it is almost black. It is then that the resemblance hits me... with her soft chin and almost sickly white face, she looks like a feminine version of Orochimaru with violet eyes.

"No." Ryoko speaks weakly, her voice trembling. "Father and mother died during a fire... and then Orochimaru found us. And Kira left with him, to survive, and I became a bounty hunter... to survive."

"Your mother left Orochimaru when you were an infant." Kisame chuckles in amusement.

"Enough." Itachi speaks calmly, in a low dangerous voice.

Kisame freezes, and the forest seems to grow a bit colder as I feel Itachi's chakra bear down on me as it feels the forest. The air becomes thick, hard to breathe, as silence feels the trees. I watch as Kisame's eyes widen, and he takes a step back. Itachi's skin feels like ice on mine, as he digs his nails into my hard abdomen, and his breath spills calmly over my hot neck like cold wind.

My heart speeds as my pulse begins pounding in my ears deafening the silence, and my breath becomes ragged. _What is he thinking?_ My mind races from the sudden change of environment.

"Let go of her." Itachi calmly replies, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife.

I blink a few times in confusion, then realize I am still holding Ryoko's hand. I move my fingers forcefully as I release her, my joints stiff from the fear. Ryoko turns slowly until she is facing me, and I gasp from the paleness of her face. Her eyes are wide in shock, and dim from the absence of life, and all that is loving seems to have exitted with the life she once held. Her brow was screwed lightly in pain, as her features remained contorted from the disbelief. And the tears still streamed silently down her face, while the muscles remained tense around her throat silencing her screams.

"Now kill her." Itachi whispers coldly, his lips tickling the soft hairs of my neck.

"But she saved me." I choked in surprise.

"It's okay Sasuke..." Ryoko whispers dryly, voice dull and painstricken. I catch her eyes, tears shining over a dull, dark void. "My sister is dead and you are leaving me. I have no reason left to live."

I blink in confusion. Ryoko answers a bit dryer than before, a bitter hint to it, like a mouse who has been overplayed with by the cat. "You are wearing his clothes Sasuke. It's obvious you are lovers... you could have told me."

A strong heat entered my cheeks as Itachi's arms gripped me even more possessively at her words. I feel filthy now, my dirty secret thrown in front of everyone, and the sickness began churning my stomach.

"No, you're my friend-" I began, but Itachi cut me off.

"Otouto, kill her..."

His voice deadly low, laced with an air that dared me to test him, one that sent a cold chill down my spine as it smoothly, calmly, oh so painstakingly stroked the fine hairs of my skin.

"Before I kill you."

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A/N:

Wow, really starsurfer, you didn't see it coming? I figured I ruined that plot twist in Ch 4 when I described the ring Kira was wearing and said it was on her left ring finger... cause Orochimaru has the blue void ring.

I dug around on the web and found two different translations for Orochimaru's ring which has the symbol Kuu (or kuchin if you do not abreviate it to the raw japanese word for void). I found it translated to void and to sky. I picked void cause it seemed like the more correct translation.

I will be blunt with this... Orochimaru and Kira were not married. They were just lovers, which is why Kisame does not say wife. Kisame was a bit amused when he realized Orochimaru never told them they were his children, which only confirmed his thoughts that Kira was just another pawn of his and nothing more despite the ring (in other words, Oro was manipulating her like everyone else).

If you are suspicious about this, and think Oro burned down the house killing his children's mother and stepfather... then you are right, even though I only hinted at it in the fanfic. Of course, neither of the kids knew it, which is why Kira agreed to go with him like all lost kids seem to in Naruto. Ryoko denied him though and became a bounty hunter to provide for herself.

And yeah, Itachi is really pissed over Sasuke not letting go of Ryoko's hand after pulling her back. He is a protective, jelous lover. lol.

Thank you to all who reviewed, and I hope you liked this chapter. It took forever to write that battle scene... and don't worry. I don't plan on ruining this with a ton of action. That was the ONLY battle scene, alright. :) This is an angst/ suspense, not an action story. I would not have included the battle, except for the fact that it became unavoidable. And it did take FOREVER to write.

So please review and let me know what you think. :)


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Nope, do not own Naruto.

A/N: yeah! so close to being finished! i'm sad yet happy.

A huge thank you to all who reviewed! Yes, I got Kira's name from Death Note (I love that show). I remember reading somewhere that Kira roughly translates as killer and that is why I chose it for her name. I never memorized the ring positions either... I got it off the internet. lol. I'm glad Itachi has been kept in character according to the reviews. sweat drops He's a tough cookie to keep in character. lol.

n y wayz, on to the chapter... and this will likely be the hardest chapter yet for me to write cause of where it goes.

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Ryoko answers a bit dryer than before, a bitter hint to it, like a mouse who has been overplayed with by the cat. "You are wearing his clothes Sasuke. It's obvious you are lovers... you could have told me."

A strong heat entered my cheeks as Itachi's arms gripped me even more possessively at her words. I feel filthy now, my dirty secret thrown in front of everyone, and the sickness began churning my stomach.

"No, you're my friend-" I began, but Itachi cut me off.

"Otouto, kill her..."

His voice deadly low, laced with an air that dared me to test him, one that sent a cold chill down my spine as it smoothly, calmly, oh so painstakingly stroked the fine hairs of my skin.

"Before I kill you."

Chapter 11- Choices

I take in a deep breath as I thought about Naruto, my betrayal to him, and I slowly let it out feeling my muscles quiver in Itachi's grip. I think back to Naruto's face, how it twisted in pain at the knowledge of what I did to him... and for what? I don't even have my clan back.

Rage strikes through me at the thought. _That is right... HE lied to me again... HE betrayed ME again..._

I raise my eyes to meet Ryoko's and a pain rips through my heart as I see her dull, lifeless eyes filled with pain and the knowledge of betrayal. And I want desperately to see those golden eyes flash with life and excitement _just like Naruto's eyes_, and I cannot help but wonder if I stole the life from Naruto's eyes that night... just like Kira stole it from hers.

_And it is all HIS fault... HE led you along again... HE betrayed you again..._

I grit my teeth as the rage begins to boil my blood beneath my skin. I can feel the warmth of my skin flush melting his icy grip on me, my heart racing the pure anger through my body spinning my head.

_You are just a puppet to him... and he is pulling your strings again... puppet..._

"ITACHI!!" I shriek as I throw his arms off of me.

I spin around to face him, now standing directly between him and Ryoko. I gasp for air, the anger and energy I screamed into his name leaving me winded. Itachi narrows his eyes lightly to me as he eyes me with a daring look. I clench my fists, my knuckles turning white in my grip, as I feel my hand begin to numb with the effort. I set my jaw hard, the tendons tightening, as I meet Itachi's eyes with the hardest glare I could give him, one that screams for him to fuck with me further.

"Kisame..." Itachi breathes calmly, the ice in the calm voice spoken like deceptive daggers hidden beneath a still, glass ocean. He raises his arm in one sweep and points to Kira's sword which is stuck in the tree. His eyes never leave mine.

Kisame chuckles darkly. "Right."

I hear the ruffle of leaves as Kisame moves across the forest floor, followed by a sick cracking sound. And all the while, Itachi is simply staring at me with a never changing look. I gasp as the sword appears in my vision, swooping through the air from being thrown, and lands in Itachi's outstretched hand as if it was called by him.

Itachi holds the unbroken gaze, as he carefully, smoothly brings the sword out in front of him, and points it at my neck. I gasp lightly, as I tear my eyes away from his hash stare to look at the sword. I can see the moonlight reflecting on the blade perfectly, giving the false impression that it has never seen battle. I swallow hard, and I can feel my fists start to shake now with the effort, as I slide my eyes along the blade back to his eyes.

Itachi says nothing, his eyes iced over with blood. And it is frightening how deadly calm his face is without a single muscle flawing his features with anger, amusement, or any other human emotion. His eyes are still narrowed, and in a calm manner that sends my heart running, as his bloodied eyes appear to shine in the darkness.

It is now that I feel my chest constrict in the power of his gaze, as the panic begins to tighten my chest sending my breaths out it shaky rasps. I swallow again, as I clear my throat, the adrenaline beating through me stronger than in any battle. My palms became slick, and I set my eyes in the strongest glare I could give praying that my fear does not show through them.

"No." I say it as forcefully as I can, and the word shakes through my lips from the force. "I'm not killing her."

I hear Ryoko gasp behind me, and I imagine in my head the life returning to her eyes. I pray that she is smiling, that I finally am the one responsible for my friends' joys and not sorrows. I feel her hands rest on my back, and I jump lightly beneath the touch. My muscles relax slightly as they become accustomed to her presence, the slight touch giving me the strength to finish my sentence.

"If you want to kill her, you'll have to go through me!" I shout the last words, the forcefullness of them surprising even me, and I am pleased that not a single one shook.

For a moment, nothing happens, and I wonder if I only said those words in my head. Itachi shows no signs that he even heard the words, and then his eyes loosen from their narrow stare as his brow relaxes into a glass gaze. His face now reminds me of a dolls, as if it was chizeled from a flawless opal, and then I remind myself that dolls cannot stare at you like that... and the intensity of his eyes sent a chill down my spine.

I jump slightly, as Itachi lowers his sword, and takes a single step towards me. It is then that his look becomes unreadable, and I begin wishing his eyes were still narrowed and showing some sign of humanity. Such an intense gaze... the deadly calm of the blood in his eyes, and it is becoming hard to breathe now as my throat tightens from the implication as I try desperately to decipher his thoughts.

Another step, slowly, painstakingly, as he takes in every slight reaction of mine, the sweat dribbling down the side of my face, the way my muscles quiver with each step as if it is an earthquake, the wavering confidence in my eyes, I can see it all sucking into his eyes like a black hole.

"Otouto..." He whispers, his voice smooth as glass, as he takes another step forward. "You've grown..."

"I..." I try to answer, as the words catch in the tightness of my throat, and my eyes widen as he comes yet closer with another step.

"Standing up to me like this..." So deceptively calm, and I can only stand frozen in place waiting for the storm.

He takes another step forward, his eyes burning right through me, and I feel naked now standing in front of him, as all my composure melts away and my breath becomes ragged. My body is now drenched in sweat and I am terrified knowing in just a couple more steps he will be infront of me, death will be standing before me. I begin screaming at myself to just grab Ryoko and run, but my muscles refuse to respond, and I find I cannot look away from his eyes as their power holds me in my place.

"I am impressed..." And with those calmly spoken words flowing from such a perfectly still, emotionless face, everything stopped.

I could feel my eyes blink, momentarily blacking out his eyes, as his words fully registered. "W-Wha-" I gasp, as the shock fully takes over my body. _He is impressed?..._

His cold fingers graze the side of my face, and it occurs to me that Itachi is standing directly in front of me now. The gentleness of his touch catches me off guard, and I can feel my body fully relax beneath it as my muscles loosen their fear. I stare back at him questioningly, unsure of his intensions, as his icy fingers travel down my sweat-slickened face.

"You love me, Otouto?" He questions, his smooth voice like silk on my skin, stroking me to his likening.

I blink a few more times, my face contorting in confusion, as my muscle tense back up and my brain begins to spin over the notion of run or stay. His empty eyes stare at me, like stone red rubies showing no hint of his intention, and I begin to think, this must be what his victims see before he kills them. His fingers press lightly into my skin on my neck, and I remember he is waiting for an answer, as I slowly nod my yes.

I feel his fingers ghost over my neck as they slide back up their slickened path and cup my face. My heart skips a beat, as a light blush covers my cheek, and I picture how lovingly he held Naruto's head in my dreams... _and how lovingly he must be holding mine._ He carefully, gently held my face as he leans in closer, and I can feel the heat of his breath graze across my face sending my heart racing with a new emotion beyond anger or fear. My eyes loosen, as I stare back into his red gems.

And I felt Itachi's fingers brush along the side of my face, moving over me like ice melting over my skin.

"Otouto..." my heart skips a few more beats, as my mind spins with his words, his breath breathing new life over me as it washes over my face.

"I have waited so long to..." Itachi spoke calmly as he leans in further, and my heart began to race as I waited eagerly for those three words to leave his lips... and he is going to say it, finally, the words I have waited so long to hear... _to love you..._

"... kill you..."

My eyes widen in shock as I feel a sharp pain rip through my stomach. I stare into the cold blood of his scarlet eyes, as I try to register what just happened. I reach down and wrap my hands around a cold, steel blade, and run my fingers along it until I reach my stomach. It is then that the reality settles in.

I hear Ryoko cough behind me, and feel her forehead rest on my upper back, and a hot liquid runs down my spine as I hear her begin to gag. Then I feel her touch leave me and hear a sickening slice as she slides off the blade, followed by a thud as she hits the ground.

"Itachi." I gasp, as I meet his eyes again.

And reality crashes down on me as it hits me how his face has not changed at all. His face is still deadly calm, void of all emotions, and his eyes are staring at me with a cold calm that only further chills my blood. I feel a pressure in my stomach as he tries to slide the sword further in. I gasp, and grip the cold blade trying desperately to hold it off as I squeeze my eyes shut. My legs shake as a strong convulsion overtakes my body, and I feel something hard hit me from behind.

I cough hard, a violent shake ripping through me, as I painfully open my eyes to find I am on the ground and Itachi is leaning over me with the sword in his hand now pointing at my throat. I shake lightly, staring at _my blood_ as it drips down the steel blade onto my throat, the hot liquid burning my skin as it slides over it.

"If you don't kill me," Itachi cold voice breaks the silent, "I'm going to have to kill you."

_Did he just tell me to kill him._ I think to myself in shock. I imagine his blood on my hands, the same blood I have sworn for so many years to spill, and I find the thought now sickening to me... painful even. And I realize my head has just shaken 'no' on its own accord.

I feel the point of the blade place pressure on the tender notch at the bottom of my throat. As I stare into his silent, calm eyes, I can feel my pulse race beneath the point of the blade. _He would not really..._ I feel the pressure deepen, and my heart takes on a deafening boom in my ears... and I can hear it synchronize with the clock as it slowly winds down to zero.

_**terrified...**_

I beg him silently with my eyes as I feel all the power leak from my muscles leaving me helpless beneath him. Something cold, something steel enters my hand, as I slide my hand down to my thigh and grip the kunai in the pouch. I can feel the hot tears sting my eyes as they slowly slide down my cheeks, and a deep cold sensation begins to tinge my body... and I become terrified... _is it death?..._

_**alone...**_

I slightly expect Naruto to come bounding through the forest trees to rescue me, and I almost laugh at such an expectation. Those bridges are burned, and the only one who waits for me now is Itachi. His cold scarlet eyes scar into me shining with a light brighter than the moon, and it strikes me now that there is a demon sitting above me holding death to my throat, as I silently beg this demon to release me _please _release me finally.

"Otouto, as you wish." His cold, calm reply.

And I almost think he read my mind, as I wait for him to climb off of me. It is then that I feel the blade press deeper yet onto my throat, as he gazes right through me with those glassy calm eyes, and the blade oh so slowly breaks the skin. It is strange, how carefully and slowly he presses the blade into me, and I gasp as I feel the warm liquid creep up around the cold blade. His eyes watch, tantalizing me with the knowledge of release from this prison he has thrown me into. I can hear his smooth, icy voice whisper to me like a dream, "_You do not desire life."_

_**desperate...**_

I gasp again, my pulse racing through me, and I feel as if my hands are bound again, and I am in this dark prison again, staring down this hole terrified with the knowledge of what is to come. I watch staring up above me at the sky as his body slides further over me, and it was then that Itachi eclipsed the moon, its pale light engulfing him like a silver halo casting him as a shadow, his bloodied eyes taking on an eerie glow from his darkened state. I squeeze my eyes shut greeting the darkness as he burrows the blade deeper, my muscles clenching with the fear. I can feel my breath pushing and releasing against the blade as my mind spins.

_**desperate...**_

_aniki._

_**please... release me...**_

_"I want to live!!"_

My terrified shriek mixed with my words filled my ears and I felt the blade still in my flesh. A warm liquid snakes around my hand erasing the cold from my grip. I slowly open my eyes and blink, expecting this to be a dream which vanishes from sight. But it didn't. Itachi is leaning over me with a kunai gouged into his chest. He slowly removes the blade from my throat and drops the sword next to me. I absent mindedly bring my fingers up to my throat as I finger the hole there. It is deep, but not life threatening.

Itachi calmly takes my hand which is still gripping the kunai and pulls the weapon from his flesh. I watch, entranced by how much blood leaves the wound, and I almost expect him to slump over lifelessly from it. He moves the blade a few centimeters to the right, aiming my hand carefully to point exactly over his heart, as he holds my eyes in his powerful gaze.

"This is the lethal point, Otouto." His voice is still and even, and I gasp at his calm words.

He releases my hand, and it drops limply to my side, as I stare up at him cold from the events. His face remains expressionless as he regards me with scrutiny, his eyes analyzing me as they etch over my face only to land back on my ebony eyes. A satisfied look enters his gaze, and he rises in one smooth motion, as if there isn't a hole in his chest.

"You pass." Comes his calm reply, as if ordering a decree.

Kisame chuckles. "I'll make the contact then." He closes his eyes and holds up his hands in a sign as his face etches in concentration.

Itachi turns his back to me and begins to walk away. I shake my head hard. _I pass?..._ I shoot up to a sitting position, and hiss as I grip my stomach in pain.

"You will not die." Itachi's calm words only fuel my anger. "I aimed for her vital point, not yours."

"Shut up." I grit my teeth as I force myself to stand despite the sharp pain.

Itachi pauses, and looks slightly over his shoulder. The shadows of the night block out the side of his face, but I can still see the blood of his sharingan as it burns through the dark. I dig my fingers into the wound in anger, as I hold it in a hard grip. I glare at him, the rage boiling to hate inside of me.

"A test... this was all a test!!" I shout enraged.

Itachi turns fully to face me. "To test your mettle." He closes his eyes calmly. "It is of the utmost importance."

"What the hell does murder have to do with testing my abilities!!" My shouts cut through the forest, and I hear birds squaking as they fly into the forest startled from the noise.

"He wasn't testing your ability kid," Kisame chuckles as he moves beside Itachi and slips something into his hand which Itachi closes inside a hard grip, "He was testing your staying quality."

Itachi opens his eyes, and their sharpness startles me for a moment. "What are you talking about!" I demand, the power of my voice causing Kisame to blink, and then chuckle.

"Your desire to live, Otouto." Itachi answers calmly.

"What the hell for... I am sick of being fucked with!" I scream.

"There is nothing more important than a shinobi's desire to live. Their strength and vigor is what pushes them to win in battle. If your desire to live is weak, then you will not kill your opponent, and they will kill you." Kisame spoke matter of factly with a smirk on his face.

"You have no right to play with me! That's all you do! You are always playing with my emotions!" I shout, the anger causing me to tremble.

Kisame chuckles again. "Sentiment is next to foolishness."

"Ryoko is my friend!"

"And your sentiment led you into her betrayal." Kisame growls.

It is those words that led my anger to its climax. It felt as if something inside of me snapped, and all I saw was him in a clouded halo of rage.

"I am sick of all this shit! We're going to settle it!" I scream, as my legs took their flight.

I nearly flew over the ground, the rage and adrenaline blocking out the pain from my wound, and the smell of my own blood brought my thoughts to a new height as I imagined what it would smell like mixed with his. I lunge at Kisame, my fist flying through the air, and Kisame easily catches it as he grabs my throat and raises me off of my feet to his eye level.

"That's enough." Itachi says calmly, and I feel Itachi's chakra entering my body the moment he places his hand on my back.

"So I can't even play back when he plays." Kisame grumbles with a frown on his face. "Lucky kid."

"I'm not fucking playing!" I shout as I squirm in Kisame's grip trying to free my throat. His grip is oddly light, despite how I cannot seem to free myself.

"Hold still." Itachi speaks forcefully in an even tone.

There is a moments impulse in my body to thrash even harder, to holler and scream just to spite him. Then I think back to before _'You'll have to go through me!'_ and he did after all... he drove the sword right through me to her. I find my body remaining completely still for him until he removes his hand from my back.

Kisame smirks. "Hmph." Before he drops me to the ground like an old toy he is throwing away. I look down to what Itachi was doing only to find my stomach wound completely healed. I stare at it shocked, but I suppose I shouldn't be; afterall, why wouldn't Itachi have learned some form of healing jutsu by now.

It is then a ring enters my vision, the same light blue one Kira had worn on her finger. Itachi takes my left hand and slides the ring on my pinky swiftly before he fluidly glides back up to a standing position. I stare at it for a moment, confusion setting in over with suspicion lacing around its edges, before I climb to my feet. I glance momentarily at the rip in the chest area of Itachi's cloak, only to find his wound is already healed.

"What is this for." I ask suspiciously.

Itachi remains silently, his sharp eyes watching my movements carefully, with satisfaction dancing in his gaze while his face remains even and still. It is Kisame who smirks, his razor sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight, and answers my question.

"Welcome to the Akatsuki."

My eyes widen as I remain speechless for a moment, and then glare at them almost as if they had insulted me. "I'm not joining. I don't want anything to do with _anything he is in!_" I point accusingly to Itachi.

"It's not an invite. You're a member." Kisame chuckles. Kisame turns to Itachi. "Leader wants everyone to gather at the main base to welcome the new member."

Itachi nods his head lightly. "Come Otouto."

Itachi turns slightly to leave, but my scream stops him. "I'm not going anywhere with you! I _hate_ you!"

I expect some sign of emotion to snap on his face, hurt, insult, but his face remains perfectly still void of any emotion as amusement flashes quickly across his eyes.

"I forced Deidara. I can force you." Came his calm, smooth reply, like silk running over me.

Itachi stares into my eyes, the intensity slowly erasing my nerve. I see a hint of satisfaction enter them as he turns easily and begins walking towards the trees, his footsteps silent despite the crispy leaves that litter the ground. I grit my teeth, ashamed of how easily I caved to his demands. _Some shinobi..._ I think condescendingly to myself as I silently mock my strength.

Kisame chuckles and I look up to see him eyeing me in amusement. I fist my hands, wanting desperately to punch him. _What's the point... he'll just block it._

"So is that what the test was for? To see if I was Akatsuki material? You're leader told Itachi to do this, didn't he?" I demand.

Kisame's smirk widens. "When the leader heard we had Itachi's little brother, he figured two sharingans were better than one. He ordered us to watch you train for a week to see if you were skilled enough to become Akatsuki... but Leader never contacted us."

I glare hard at Kisame. "Then what's with 'testing my mettle' and having me battle Kira."

"It was my decision." Itachi answers coldly, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Itachi was bored with how slow you were training." Kisame laughs in amusement.

"So I was just some game to you!" I scream.

"The game ended in the bar with Kira, Otouto. This was _the _test." Itachi answers calmly despite my anger, agitation lacing his words.

I yelp in surprise as Kisame lightly tugs on my hair pulling me forward with him. My feet quickly match his walking pace in order to loosen the pain. I glare upwards at Kisame as he lets go of my hair, his ebony eyes looking down at mine as he smirks.

"It's not a good idea to make Itachi wait." Kisame orders me with light force.

"I still have questions." I snap.

"Later. Right now we move." Kisame smirks. _He's like an Itachi with visible emotions... heh._

I reluctantly nod, and with that we leap into the forest. I feel my nerves shake beneath the anger of my exterior as my mind races with thoughts of the future for the first time in years, and what will await me in the Akatsuki... and the pressure returns in my chest as I stare at Itachi's back and his words echo from the past.

_Happiness is an illusion, Otouto..._

His demonic red eyes burning into mine.

_Aniki... my love is not an illusion._

_**Why is your love an illusion?...**_

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Kakashi surveys the forest scene as he glances among the small crators that were burrowed into the forest floor moments earlier. Tsunade walks up to a pile of ash clumped between two roots where a tree once stood. She touches the cold ash as she picks up a pinch in her fingers and rubs them between them. _What kind of technique could have done this?..._

"Oh my gosh..." Sakura gasps as she looks down at Kira. She holds her hands up to her mouth horrified. "She's... oh, she's-her... her spine was severed..."

"Sakura, that's enough. You don't need to look at her." Kakashi spoke in a gentle, forceful voice.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei. This is kind of weird." Naruto says as she looks at Ryoko and then the pile of blood that has pooled near her. "I mean, why is there a second pool of blood next to her... and then all those blotches of blood that lead over there and then there is a third pool."

Naruto scratches his chin in thought as Kakashi and Sakura walk over towards him. "I think she was injured over at the small puddle, and then she stumbled over here where she collapsed at the second pool, and then she crawled over here where she is laying now."

"No.. I don't think so." Sakura mutters as she stares at the foot prints near the second pool of blood. "Whoever made these foot prints were wearing sandles, and she is wearing boots."

"Yes, and judging from the direction of the foot prints, the person was injured here and ran over the the smaller pool of blood creating these blotches." Kakashi adds self assured.

Naruto frowns as his face flushes in embarrassment. "Yeah, I knew that." He laughs.

"No you didn't!" Sakura shouts irritated.

"You were right, Lady Tsunade. Whoever killed these two girls was extremely powerful. It's a good thing you insisted on coming. If he was still out here..." Kakashi speaks in a low, serious tone.

"Whoever killed these two girls was using a jutsu I have never seen before. To think that he was able to reduce an entire tree to ash, and for me to be able to sense his chakra all the way in Konoha from out here..." Tsunade spoke in an equally serious tone.

"But I thought you only sensed one person, and there are two bodies here." Naruto adds questioningly.

"That's cause he was the only one strong enough to be sensed from Konoha! Weren't you liste-!" Sakura made a disgusted expression. "Naruto! Quit touching the dead body!"

Naruto blinks a bit surprised, before he furrows his brow. "Hey... I don't think she's dead. She's really warm."

Kakashi and Sakura stare in shock before they move into the body. Kakashi feels near the neck for a pulse. "It's weak." He gasps quickly.

"Move aside!" Tsunade orders as she lays her hand on the wound which lays over her liver. Her hands instantly began to glow.

"Grandma Tsunade, is she going to be alright!" Naruto asks breathlessly.

"It's in a vital spot. I can stabilize her here, but I need to get her back to Konoha if she is going to live." Tsunade answers, her brow furrowed in concentration.

Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi watch on edge as Tsunade tries desperately to heal her. Tsunade opens her eyes as she raises an eyebrow looking down at the girl. _For such a lethal wound, her blood loss is minimal. Yes, the wound is still bleeding, and it is still lethal, but..._

Ryoko opens her eyes weakly, and mutters in a quiet, inaudible voice. "_Sasuke..._"

Sakura blinks, "Kakashi, what did she say?" Kakashi shrugs at her.

And Naruto's pupils shrink as he stares down at the red head, and his mouth slides open.

"Sasuke... where is he!"

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A/N:

Oi, I never get a story done in the amount of chapters I say... why is that? Anyways, if you are wondering why Ryoko did not die, it is because she is a healer and started healing her wound before she fainted... but she is not as good of a healer as Tsunade so she could not heal it and would have died if it not for Tsunade finding her.

I figured Itachi would have picked up on some healing jutsus in all of his travels and what not, so I put that in there... I hope you guys like my decision on what happened to Sasuke. :) Itachi followed the leaders orders to test Sasuke by watching him train, but Itachi wasn't satisfied with the results. When Itachi saw Kira in the bar, his simple toying with Sasuke out of boredom turned into something a bit more... sinister... and Itachi decided to test Sasuke to see if he was Akatsuki material by seeing how badly Sasuke wants to live. When Sasuke refused to kill Ryoko, Itachi decided to see if Sasuke would be willing to kill him despite the fact that he loves him. Sasuke's blow was close to being completely lethal since it was near the heart, so he passed. :)

Please review and let me know how the chapter was! I'm eager to hear what you guys thought about this one.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Nope don't own Naruto.

A/N:

Woot Kudos to Souji :3 For being the beta-ness. No, seriously, thank you so much. I was really surprised by how much you improved the chapter. I never really thought having a beta would make that big of a difference. You're awesome!

Also, this is something Souji corrected me on. Kira does not mean killer in japanese, satsunjisha does. Kira is how the english word killer is phonetically pronounced/ written in japanese. My bad, oh well. Nevertheless, I took the name from Death Note.

To clarify on something confusing, yes I am aware Tobi (aka, the true akatsuki leader) has the sharingan as well. However, the story's setting is pre- time skip when Sasuke is still 13, so Tobi has not revealed himself yet as the true akatsuki leader so Kisame is not aware anyone else has the sharingan. This is why Kisame stated Sasuke would be the second member with the sharingan.

To O.J.D., I tried to improve Sasuke's backbone while still keeping him vulnerable... hope I kept him in character. lol. I never really intended for him to be a complete pushover, just vulnerable.

A huge thank you to all who reviewed. I love reading them so much!

Chapter 12- Bonds

"Sasuke... where is he!?" Naruto shouts desperately.

Ryoko blinks, her eyes trying desperately to focus on the blurry, blonde haired blob above her. She moans lightly as she squeezes her eyes shut once again.

"I... don't know." Ryoko moans out.

Naruto's face fades into disappointment as he looks away sullenly. Kakashi watches Naruto carefully, his brow lightly furrowed as if to say "_Naruto... how can you be so quick to trust Sasuke again... after what he did to you?"_

Tsunade lifts her hands from Ryoko's wound. "That is the best I can do here. We need to get her back to Konoha now, or she will die."

Kakashi nods in understanding and takes Ryoko into his hands, lifting her into a sitting position while he maneuvers her carefully to carry her bridal style. Ryoko grimaces in pain, tensing her body at the movement.

"Wait!" Ryoko gasps.

"I know it hurts, but I have to do this so bare with me." Kakashi says with a touch of a gentle tone.

"No, wait, Sasuke..." Ryoko starts in a shaky voice, and Kakashi pauses just as he is about to lift her up.

"Sasuke! You remember where he is!?" Naruto shouts, a large grin spreading across his face.

"Please tell us!" Sakura almost pleads.

Tsunade and Kakashi exchange serious looks and Tsunade closes her eyes almost painfully, shaking her head as she folds her arms. Ryoko takes in a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut from the pain while tears leak from the corners of her eyes and slide down the sides of her face.

"We... came from the Rain... that's where we found Sasuke." Ryoko takes in another deep breath, before she continues in a forced, shaky voice. "They must be taking him back there."

Ryoko's brow tightens, as she lifts her arm as though it were made of lead, and points it in the direction that she originally came from. It is the same direction Sasuke had left in. After a moment, she lets her arm fall limply as though it were dead weight. Naruto stares off in the direction she pointed, hope brimming in his cerulean eyes.

"Who's 'they'?" Kakashi asks, his tone serious.

"...Itachi Uchiha..." Ryoko whispers, her voice beginning to crack now, "...Kisame Hoshigaki..."

Their eyes widen at the information, and Tsunade and Kakashi exchange another serious glance. Naruto's eyes narrow slightly, never wavering from the path that Sasuke left by, as he raises his right fist in exclamation.

"Then I will go beat them and bring Sasuke back!" Naruto shouts as though he is taking an oath. "Let's go!"

"Hold on, Naruto. This is serious-" Tsunade starts, her voice chastising.

"No time, Granny Tsunade! They're getting away with him!" Naruto yells over his shoulder as he runs towards the mouth of the woods quickly.

"Naruto! Wait-! Ugh..." Kakashi lets out a moan, setting Ryoko down lightly before rubbing at the back of his head in frustration. _Couldn't he ever just listen for a moment?..._

"Kakashi, you go after Naruto." Tsunade's voice begins firmly, "Sakura and I will bring Ryoko back to Konoha, and then send reinforcements." Her voice is its usual firm tone, and as her words finish she scoops the grimacing Ryoko off of the forest floor and stands.

Kakashi nods, creating a few summoning seals before thrusting his hands onto the ground. In a puff of smoke, Pakkun appears.

"Kakashi, long time no see." Pakkun says, looking up at him.

"No time for greetings, Pakkun. I need you to follow Naruto's scent, now." Kakashi speaks hurriedly, motioning to the ground that Naruto had been kneeling on.

Pakkun nods understandingly before sniffing at the ground in the selected location. He quickly catches the boy's scent, mumbling a quiet, "This way.", before the two disappear in a flash.

Tsunade glances down at Ryoko once more, a fine sheen of sweat covering the girl's paling face as even more sweat drips from her brow. Thin lines of worry had long since formed on Tsunade's face, and they only deepen as she watches the girl in her arms. _She should be more stable than this... her blood loss was minimal... Why is her condition so severe…?_

Tsunade glances up at Sakura, who is staring absently off into the trees, holding her hands tightly to her chest with a fretful expression playing across her soft features. "Sakura, are you alright? You haven't said anything since Sasuke was mentioned." Tsunade's voice is concerned, as her eyes skim over the girl.

Sakura's eyes shift to Tsunade, a bit surprised at the sudden question. A fine blush forms on her cheeks and she nods, "I'm fine. We need to get back to Konoha."

Tsunade nods in return, as they both simultaneously turn in the direction of Konoha. Their journey beginning at a run.

The older woman's eyes glide over Sakura's back, allowing the girl to set the pace. Letting out a sigh, she feels her age suddenly catching up to her. There is a momentary twinge of pain in her heart, and she closes her eyes briefly. _They're so young... and guided by such foolish hearts in youth. They have yet to experience the extent of the pain that comes with knowledge…  
_

Her eyes open once more, Sakura's back still moving quickly in front of her. _What it was to be young…_ A weak smile crosses Tsunade's features, before she shakes her head bitterly at the rush of memories that threaten to flood before her eyes. _Naruto, Sakura... you fight so hard to bring Sasuke back, as though everything will be fine the moment that he arrives home, but... _With that single thought, the smile fades from Tsunade's face… _You have no idea what awaits him upon his return._

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Itachi, Kisame, and I leap down from the trees, landing in a small clearing, the sound of a nearby stream twinkling in the early morning breeze. Itachi motions to Kisame, and his partner hands him a water container. Hesitantly, I do the same.

"You think we have enough time for a rest?" Kisame ventures, attempting to read into Itachi's actions.

Itachi nods, "It does not matter if the boy gains on us. He's weak, and the other is too far behind him to offer support." With this, Itachi turns briskly, apparently heading for the stream.

_What is he talking about?_ My eyes follow Itachi as he pushes back a bit of brush before leaning over the stream that Sasuke had heard earlier. Slowly, but efficiently my brother begins to carefully rinse out the insides of the containers.

The morning sun is beginning to peak over the trees now, staining the sky hues of pink, yellow, and a deep crimson red over the shades of blue. I gasp, as the light streams through the trees onto Itachi. It paints his skin opal, while his dark, midnight colored hair shimmers in contrast under the light of the dawning sun. I stare at the flawless beauty before me, a deep bitter pain creeping into my heart. I have to admit it now, and it is no longer anything that I can deny, just as I admitted it before, on my death bed… beneath him on the forest floor... I love him.

But I simultaneously hate him, for stealing every moment from me in my youth. I hate him, for manipulating me into betraying Naruto and for taking me from Konoha. I hate him, for murdering my clan, _**my **_**clan, not his**, and for then leaving me all alone. I hate him, for being the prodigy, for always being father's son first and destroying my life... I hate him, for never seeing _me_, as if I am a stranger to him, and for looking right through me like glass to see all of my vulnerabilities. I hate him, for not understanding my needs and for making me into his puppet. I hate him, because I love him.

But above all, above everything else, I hate him for _this._ Because while I stand here admiring Itachi for how beautiful he is, Itachi will never notice. He will never see my love for him nor will he acknowledge it as anything more than another one of his possessions. This bitter hatred between us is _suffocating _any love that could grow, much like a snake wrapping around its prey.

"Kisame..." I almost whisper. Kisame turns to look at me, his ebony eyes sparking with surprise at my willingness to converse. "...Why does Itachi hate me?"

Kisame blinks a bit in confusion, before a frowns crosses his lips, but he remains silent. I watch Itachi rise gracefully... all of his actions are flawless. He walks slowly towards us, his movements fluid and lithe. His sheer actions sending little needles through my heart, as I take in his perfection. Itachi holds out the container to me that I glare at like it's poison. My eyes flutter back up to meet Itachi's, and I can see it there again, a brief flicker of emotion. From inside of those perfectly still eyes worn by that expressionless face, there is a typically unseen discontent brewing.

I bite my lip carefully, sliding perfect ivory teeth deep into my tender, cherry lips. I watch Itachi's eyes flicker down to take in that single motion. His eyes almost waver at the sight of red on red, as the blood creeps out to stain them further. I slowly slide the ring off of my pinky and hold it out to him. His eyes forcibly break away from my mouth to watch as the Akatsuki ring falls to the ground spinning a little in the dust before it settles.

Itachi's eyes shoot back up, locking with mine before they narrow considerably. His face remains calm, expressionless even as his voice takes on an icy tone. "So you've chosen force."

"Go ahead. Do it." I challenge him. The cool in my voice, the perfect unshaken strength of my composure almost surprises even me. "I am not joining the Akatsuki... nor do I want anything to do with you." _Because I know that being this near to you would kill me._

Itachi's eyes narrow even further, the emptiness of his blank expression only increasing as his eyes attempt to swallow me into their bottomless pits. His voice is even and low as he speaks, "You hate me?"

"You have no idea..." _How much I love you..._The voice in my head finishes seamlessly. I squeeze shut my bitter eyes.

"You have nowhere else to go." Itachi's voice is calm, controlled. Just like always… it is as soothing as it is painful.

I bite my lip once again, my composure beginning to falter. I want to scream at him. I want to make him feel how I feel. I take in another deep, shaky breath. Just below the surface I can feel my bitter rage beginning to bubble, threatening to surface. I try desperately to calm my nerves again. "None of that matters now." I answer forcibly, the volume of my voice rising slightly to convey my point.

"It doesn't matter to you that you have nowhere to go?" Itachi's voice drifts smoothly over me, a hint of dark ice below the surface.

I feel something inside of me snap. My fists reflexively tighten, and I can feel a couple rivulets of blood drip over the surface of my fingers as my nails dig into the flesh of my hands. I forcefully squeeze my eyelids shut even tighter causing small white lights appear behind my eyelids, as the pressure in my head spikes and begins to make me dizzy.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT YOU'VE PUT ME THROUGH!" I scream, the sheer force of my voice making my throat raw. There is a moment of absolute silence, as my rage begins to subside only slightly. I take another deep breath, and my voice lowers to a cynicism that any Uchiha would be proud of, "And what do you care what the fuck happens to me!? It couldn't be more obvious that I mean _nothing _to you!"

I become quiet after my sudden outburst, my breath ragged from the force of screaming. My pulse quickens as I wait quietly for him to make some sort of correction. My muscles tense as the silence thickens around me, and I can't help but silently beg him to tell me how much I mean to him, but all that greets me is the deafening sound of my heart pounding in my ears... _Right..._ I almost laugh at my foolishness.

"So go ahead." I dare him, "Force me to join. You can't force me to kill or fight though. I'll just be another death that you're responsible for." I mumble bitterly, my disappointment etched into my voice.

I wait for some sort of response, anything to break the absolute nothing surrounding me. I can't help but expect to feel the rough surface of tree bark against my back… or the sting of a slap marring my already imperfect complexion. Although after a few minutes of tensing myself, I realize that nothing is going to come. I hear movement on the ground before me, as the leaves lightly rustle, and I feel Itachi's powerful presence disappear from in front of me. I slowly open my eyes to see that Itachi has gone, and Kisame is staring at me, shock written across his face.

I glare at Kisame harshly. "What are you looking at?" I demand venomously.

"Heh." Kisame smirks, regarding me with a newfound respect. "You must be the only person to ever talk to Itachi like that and survive."

I cast my gaze to the ground, my eyes narrowing in self-pity, "I'm still not worth killing…" My voice trails off, "I'm still too weak for him."

I can feel Kisame's gaze move over me, eyeing me guardedly as he chooses his words. His voice grates on me, his annoyance apparent, "I was going to stay out of this since it's Itachi's business, but I'm sick of it. The two of you are just too damn proud."

My eyes shoot back up to meet his. Kisame is staring hard at me now with a frown creasing his face. My eyes narrow and my glare becomes even more intense, "My pride is the only thing I have left!" I mutter indignantly.

Kisame brushes me off, "Your brother loves you more than anything."

I stare at him in shock, the words hitting me like a brick. _There's no way._ "Itachi hates me. Why else would he put me through all this, and try to kill me!"

Kisame groans slightly, "I already told you that it was just a test. Your life was never in any real danger. Itachi was upset at the thought of you joining the Akatsuki, but Leader's orders are still orders."

"Yeah, you _already_ told me this. The leader ordered you to test me in training. But it was Itachi's idea to try to kill me as a _test_." I say it bitterly, my tone becoming bored with repetition. _Now he's trying to tell me that this is love? Ha ha… I can only imagine what Itachi's hatred is like..._

"Quit interrupting me, kid." Kisame speaks harshly. He pauses lightly, before continuing. "Itachi was upset with the orders because he thought he might lose you. That is why Itachi's test was so severe. He wanted to make sure you wouldn't die easily as a member. He did it to protect you."

I stare at him in disbelief, the reality of what Kisame is telling me slowly sinking in. However, the world around me is beginning to feel like a dream again, as the possibility of Itachi loving me begins to numb my body. "But... how could he?" I shake my head harshly, not wanting to get my hopes up. "No, you're wrong."

Kisame sighs, as he approaches me and scoops my ring off the ground. He harshly blows the dust off of it and holds the ring out to me, the sky blue color shining in the morning sun.

"Listen, kid, you better not tell Itachi I told you this, but when we're alone, you are all he talks about." Kisame's narrowed eyes meet my own, his tone serious.

I blink a bit in surprise. "Has it... always been that way?" I ask in disbelief.

Kisame remains quiet for a moment, before he shakes his head 'no'. "It started about a week ago… some time after you arrived. I don't think he began truly loving you until after you came with us."

I glance down at the Akatsuki ring that Kisame is holding out to me. His words echo inside of my head, and I begin to wonder, when exactly did I fall in love with Itachi? When did he stop being a brother to me, and become something so much more? I let Kisame's words sink in further, as the prospect of Itachi returning my feelings swims in my head, sending through me a new found high. I bite my lip lightly, staring down at the ring. S_hould I... risk my heart to my brother... one last time?_

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Itachi settles on a branch far away, his nimble body slumping purposefully against the tree trunk. His figure is completely relaxed. He closes his sharingan eyes loosely, his face calm and collected. The morning sun begins to warm his porcelain skin, as he listens to the birds chirp around him cheerfully.

_How impressive of Otouto to challenge me. He has grown. _Itachi ponders to himself, carefully turning the events over in his head in light amusement.He calmly fingers his Akatsuki cloak as if physically manipulating what happened. _I could not risk killing him despite his insolence. No, I should have more self-control._

"I should have forced him." Itachi speaks decisively, not a single crack in his voice nor any sign of sorrow or remorse. To a passerby, it could have appeared that he was commenting about the weather with how casually he spoke about such a serious topic.

"It's not good that Otouto left. Leader will be disappointed. I will force him next time."

Itachi's eyes slip open slowly, as he begins to scan the forest calmly for his partner.

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"It's not enough." I answer bitterly looking down at the ring. _It was never enough... and his lack of love is slowly killing me._ "I need him to show me that he loves me."

"Then quit your whining and make him." Kisame's voice is becoming irritated.

"It's not that easy! I've been trying since I was a kid! Itachi just... never responds."

I meet his eyes with a scowl. I'm growing tired of this guy talking like he knows me, like he knows my situation. He doesn't know what it's like. Itachi's love is unattainable, and just making an attempt for it is the equivalent of holding a gun to your head to play Russian roulette. It may not kill you today, but eventually, everyone's luck runs out.

I feel Kisame slide the Akatsuki ring back onto my left pinky. I meet his eyes sharply, glaring at him as I feel the urge to punch him rise within me. I jerk my hand out of his reach, feeling my entire body tense even further from his touch causing my muscles to burn with a dull ache.

"I know how to make him respond." Kisame smirks wickedly.

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Naruto skids to a halt before turning, and continuing towards the area that he heard Sasuke's scream come from. He jumps down, landing strategically behind a bush before peering gingerly from behind it. His eyes land quickly on the familiar raven haired boy before shifting to a tall, blue man who was speaking. _That must be Kisame... Yeah, I think I remember Itachi calling him that from before._

The blonde glances around him quickly. The peacefulness of the forest and twinkling stream harshly clashing with the excitement and urgency that was still rushing through his body. _I should probably wait for Kakashi to catch up... No… No, this can't wait!_

Naruto bites his lip lightly, before he leaps from behind the bushes. I turn quickly, my eyes scanning the area, looking for the cause of the sound. Shock washes over me to find Naruto standing there, a fierce expression playing across his almost animal like features.

He points menacingly at Kisame, before yelling noisily, his voice confident, "Give Sasuke back, now! Or I'll make you regret it!"

Kisame chuckles in amusement before casually gripping the hilt of his Samehada. I glance quickly between the two, panic beginning to tighten my throat. "Kisame! Wait!" I am surprised to see Kisame actually pause, as though my words hold some weight, "Let me handle Naruto."

Kisame frowns at me with fostered disappointment before glancing back to Naruto in disdain still gripping the sword's hilt. _If I injure the kid, Itachi's little brother will probably side with him... then Itachi will... _Kisame releases the hilt and nods to Sasuke, "Make it quick."

I release a mental sigh of relief, while Naruto blinks back at me in confusion. The blonde looks to me innocently as he forces a smile, "Hey, what's going on Sasuke? We're gonna go back home together, right?"

A flash of Naruto's pained face shoots through my mind, his face twisting in anguish at my betrayal. The scene plays before my eyes once again, as the Kisame from my memories knocks the blonde out cold and drags him away… to kill him, no doubt. In my own mind, Naruto has been dead since that day…because of me. As the guilt slides through me, twisting my stomach I feel a sudden tingle along my back… The sensations striking me in the very same locations that Ryoko's fingers had slid along my back covering me in her blood. _I cannot protect them... Ryoko died because of me and now... No._

"Naruto..." I begin calmly. _I must make this real. I must make sure he never comes back for me._ "I am a member of Akatsuki now. I have no feelings for you or for Konoha."

I maintain my demeanor, calm and self-assured, as I watch his face fill with still more confusion, "Sasuke, what are you talking about? We're comrades."

I cross the forest floor, my feet padding silently as I approach Naruto, my composure confident with my head tilted high. Deep inside I can feel myself shaking. I lock eyes with him, his sky blue eyes filled with a thousand questions, and it strikes me how clear his eyes are even now. His eyes perfectly match the clearest part of the bluest sky. That part of the sky that I will never be able to reach no matter how high I fly. Even now… after everything, Naruto's eyes shimmer with a life that I could only dream of obtaining. Yet here I stand, before him, once again… ready to stamp it out.

I suck in a deep breath, matching Naruto's serious stare, before I speak my lies. "The Akatsuki is quite pleased I gave them the kyuubi. So, they made me a member as a reward." I pause for a moment, letting the words sink in, "Meaning, I have no further use for you."

I wait in silence, guilt filling me, as I witness Naruto's face twisting into an expression of anguish. His face resembles my own on the night of my clan's massacre. I feel a sudden sharp pain against the left side of my face, the swiftness of the motion causing my head to snap harshly to the right. Slowly a warm liquid begins to dribble from my nose, filling it with a sharp metallic scent. I reach up to touch my face tenderly, dull pain shooting through my skull even at the gentle touch.

I turn my head stiffly back, my eyes falling across his face unaffectedly. In truth, I know that I deserve it, and a part of me wanted him to inflict some more pain on me to settle some of this guilt that was still swelling within me. Naruto simply stares back at me, his jaw set and his teeth showing slightly. I can see his eyes flash with rage, and he once again looks like a feral animal.

"Don't lie to me!" He spits out, "Do you think I am that stupid?!" His voice is hardly above a growl. Now, my face fills with surprise, because Yes, I did think he was that stupid. "Now tell me!" Naruto demands, "Why are you joining the Akatsuki?!"

There is no answer for me to give him. What am I supposed to tell him? '_Because I have a deep incestuous love for my brother?' _I close my eyes in frustration as I clutch my fists. "Just go away, Naruto." My voice is forceful and harsh, almost cold.

"Fine..." Naruto's voice is dejected now, but still with unwavering resolve, "But I'm not going to let the Akatsuki have you... They'll just use you and throw you away! Just like yesterday's trash! I'll take you back by force if I have to!"

I sense his power spike in front of me. In the blink of an eye, a few shadow clones are standing beside the original, as they position themselves to form a Rasengan. _Naruto..._ I glance over my shoulder to Kisame, who appears to now have a heightened interest in our situation. All I can think is, '_If he fights Naruto...' _Growling to myself, I look down to my right hand and grip it hard aiming it towards the dirt as I begin to form Chidori.

I watch, as the lightning begins to flicker in my hand. My muscles tighten in my arm painfully as a warm heat begins to coarse throughout it creating the sensation that my tendons could snap at any minute. I bite my lip roughly as sweat begins to form on my brow, but the chakra in my hand continues to flicker weakly as it forms a small bright white Chidori. _It's no use... I wasted too much of my chakra fighting Kira, even if it was just mostly absorbing the impact. _

Naruto lets out a scream as his chakra condenses into a large, swirling bright blue ball. I glance towards Naruto as the force of the chakra begins to suck the air around me. _I have to stop him somehow… If he fights Kisame..._

It is then that Kisame appears behind Naruto, and slashes Samehada effortlessly near Naruto's chakra. A large crunching sound fills the air, like the sound of a thousand gnashing teeth, followed by the subtle pop of Naruto's clones vanishing and his Rasengan merely dissipating… Naruto blinks in surprise as he looks straight up at the much larger Kisame who is now towering over him merely smirking, his shark-like teeth glistening in the light.

Naruto takes a step back nervously, already aware of what happened from the encounter with Kisame and Itachi at the inn. Kisame smoothly raises the Samehada back up and rests it on his shoulder, still grinning.

"I said make it quick." Kisame growls.

I glance down at my weak Chidori. _If I hit him now, with all of his chakra drained, I could kill him. _I look back up to meet Kisame's harsh stare which has now grown impatient. _But if I don't... _My gaze shifts to meet Naruto, who is now staring directly back at me. He moves slowly into a defensive position, his muscles fatigued from the lack of chakra.

I can see it clearly now that all the rage has melted away. His eyes rest on me, emanating his betrayal and hurt. Despite how confident and determined his face is, his eyes are a dead giveaway. I can see the tears line the edges of those blue eyes in anguish, threatening to spill over and stain his cheeks at any moment. This cuts me that much deeper because Naruto is the only one who ever understood how I felt. He was the only one who knew what 'alone' felt like, and now he understands the sense of betrayal I feel as well.

I swallow hard, as the lump of shame slides down my throat and I shakily raise the Chidori up and aim at his chest. I see the look of shock form on Naruto's face, as the pain of realization settles that much deeper into his eyes. _This won't kill Naruto. He's strong. _The lump slips down into my chest thickening with this new found pressure, making my actions that much more difficult with each passing breath, as the full realization of what I am about to do settles in. I can already imagine his blood on my hands... _Please, God. Don't let this kill him._

"Sasuke..." Naruto breathes. His voice is heavy and tight. His eyes are begging me now… and it is then that the full reality of the situation hits me. _It hurts him... because the love that he proclaimed to me before… isn't being returned._

My eyes soften momentarily, as I take in a shaky breath, and my next words come out with a slight regretful tremble, pleading to him…

"Naruto, forgive me."

Lunging forward, I bury my weak attempt at a Chidori dead in the center of his chest. I can feel the energy leaving my body as I release my lightning chakra into him, its force chirping like a thousand birds… and, I catch a glimpse of Naruto's face just before my attack follows through... His expression will burn its way deep into the darkest corridors of my mind, only to later slowly gnaw away at my last shreds of conscience.

All I can see before me is his face morphing into a twisted tapestry of pain...

_All because of my… unrequited love…_

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A/N: I am going to start another ItachiXSasuke story called 'Send Me An Angel'. It isn't posted yet cause I'm not done with the first chapter. It will be a bit different from this story in that it won't be as dark and it will be more romantic. Itachi will also be a lot nicer in that one cause he'll be "good" but he won't be all mushy out of character good or super lovey duvey. So you can look for that.

anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Souji approved :3

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto.

A/N: Thank you so much everyone for the reviews! I love reading them a whole lot, it brightens my day a little. And a special thanks to Souji for beta-ing the chapter! Yea!

My new SasuItachi uchihacest story is posted, or at least the first chapter is. Everyone seems to think it is a good plot idea, so I will continue updating and writing the story instead of pulling the story and throwing it away. The title is Send Me An Angel. It will be written quickly as possible though, cause I have to finish it before August when school starts or I will have to set it aside for an entire year... ugh, I school absorbs all my writing time. :)

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_My nine year old body shivered violently from the cold breeze and I couldn't help but scoot closer to the protective warmth of my aniki. As I inched closer, I felt my body scrape over the rough stones that had compacted to form Hokage mountain, the place which we had both been lying on for some time._

_I briefly gazed up at the velvet black sky lit by thousands of stars, before glancing back at my brother. I considered this alone time with my aniki a rare treat, especially considering how distant he had been lately, that being said I didn't intend to waste it._

_I shifted and nuzzled my head against his arm, which was larger and more muscular than my own. After a moment, he reluctantly shifted and wrapped his arm around me tightly, pulling me closer. In that moment, I could hardly contain the surge of joy that went through me, as I felt my heart bubble over in excitement. I giggled triumphantly, squirming that much closer so that my eyes stayed on the center of __**my**__ universe._

_"Watch the stars, Otouto." Itachi said calmly, as if brushing off my gaze before pointing with a vague sort of interest towards the sky._

_My eyes traced the length of his pale finger, following it towards the all encompassing midnight sky. It was much clearer up here than at any other point in Konoha, and the stars twinkled down at me as if smirking slyly in their all-seeing wisdom. My eyes slid quickly back to my aniki's face, and I felt my heart tighten in awe. Inside his coal black eyes danced the light of a thousand stars. After only moments, I found myself already lost in the liquid depths of those eyes' midnight ocean. I was entranced as the stars shimmered across the surface only to blink out once they reached the bottom. I began to wonder if it was possible for me to drown in the depth of his eyes._

_"Make a wish, Otouto." A smooth voice reverberated from within the chest that I was pressed tightly against._

_My ebony eyes widened, the glittering reflection of the stars was visible in my aniki's eyes. As I watched unblinkingly, a shooting star streaked across his muted black eyes. All I could recall thinking was, 'I wish we would never be apart.'_

_"What did you wish for, Aniki?" I asked in wonder, staring up at his passive face._

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Kisame and I land gracefully on the thick tree branch that Itachi is still reclining on calmly. His lithe body is leaning slackly against the large trunk as if it is a well cushioned chair. I expect to see some sort of surprise register on Itachi's face at my return, but he glances at me only briefly with a mild disinterest before setting his sharp crimson eyes on Kisame, who shifts back uneasily from the harsh stare.

"You should be proud of your little brother. He took care of the ex-jinchuuriki himself." Kisame's voice chides in light amusement.

At this, a sharp pang guilt shoots through my heart, and I swallow a thick lump of remorse down my slender throat. I can feel Itachi's analytical eyes on me once again, as he systematically tears me asunder like a clock that he is all too familiar with the workings of. A sense of shame washes over me, and this new hatred which is coursing through me is reserved entirely for myself.

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_Aniki tilts his head down slightly, his gaze falling upon me. With the movement, his starlit eyes darken, becoming a black abyss as every twinkling star is seemingly swallowed in the darkness of his eyes. I blink in surprise at the scene before me, lightly registering that the change is only from the shift, and his hair casting a shadow across his face... I couldn't have had any idea of how fitting it was that all life died in those eyes._

_Again, I had become entranced, lost in the depths of his eyes. Slowly, aniki slid a soft, smooth thumb over my supple lips, as if to shake me from my reverie. The vast depth of his eyes was astounding. I couldn't help but find it amazing that, such profound depth could be nothing but a void. Empty… It was as if any sign of emotion had been swallowed into the same dimension that the stars were. _

_Itachi leaned up slightly on his arm. He was using his elbow to prop himself up as his face was dangled only inches above my own. His warm breath washed over my innocent face and all the while his expression was calm and purposeful, assuring me that his actions were intentional._

_"If I tell you, Otouto," Itachi's breath ghosted over me, the words gracing my eager ears, "then it won't come true."_

_My aniki leaned closer to me, allowing our bodies to meet until his soft lips pressed against mine in a tender kiss. My heart raced wildly, threatening to beat out of my tiny chest, but Itachi never closed his eyes. He stared right through me with his emotionless eyes taking in my every response. My body felt so alive, as a new fire began to blaze through every aspect of my being._

_And I prayed to God that this would never end._

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Itachi rises elegantly from the branch and tucks a few loose strands of raven hair behind his ear. His dark crimson eyes take me in carefully, before spitting me back out in indifference. He maneuvers past me in one fluid movement, as if I'm not even there, before he rests his blank gaze on Kisame.

"Come, Kisame." Itachi speaks evenly, as though nothing has happened at all.

For a moment, I stand there, dying in the eyes of my aniki, covered in the unseen blood of my friends… The blood which has covered my body in a film of inerasable filth and brought my mind to a constant state of hell...

I pray to God that this all ends soon.

Chapter 13 - Wish Upon a Star

Kisame easily thrusts the Samehada into the brush, separating it long enough for us to move through the clearing into the dimly lit cave. I pause, staring intensely at the front door of the small cabin which I had fled from earlier.

"Itachi? Why are we back at this house?" I venture suspiciously.

Itachi glances briefly over his shoulder. His fine black hair brushing across his features fluidly, as his expression grows even colder. The silence that fills the air hangs heavily around us in the damp cavern, and Itachi pauses before answering.

"So we're not early." His reply is icy and detached as it echoes off of the cavern walls, which only serve to increase the intensity of his tone.

The man before me turns his head slowly and I stare, my breath heavy in my chest as his dark cloaked figure disappears from my range of view beyond the cabin door. The breath I was unconsciously holding releases all too quickly, leaving me momentarily light headed… Here I was again. At this realization, a single bead of cold sweat begins its trek down the side of my forehead. All the while a previously unnoticed chill creeps down my spine. Itachi's presence is more frigid now than it ever was before.

I turn my head to the right, to look straight up at Kisame who is a pace and a half behind me, "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I ask, my voice quivers slightly and my anxiety is apparent.

Kisame casts me an easy, razor sharp grin, "Trust me. This idea is to die for." His voice has a confidence to it, as though he already has his partner's reactions planned out in his head…

As if sensing my unease, Kisame utters a dark chuckle and my skin can't help but crawl, as his voice resonates through me. As the exchange ends, I face forward once more, putting one foot in front of the other, as I make my way towards the dimly lit house. I can feel Kisame grinning mischievously behind me, as I've come to a halt at the stairs. Repositioning himself beside me, he nods his head towards the stairs. I can't help but size them up, a frown crossing my lips as I climb up them slowly. My feet are as heavy as lead, even before I reach the top of the stairs.

I step slowly from the stairs into the hallway, as Itachi it from his room at the other end. His eyes are darker than the deepest parts of the shadows and it is then that it strikes me... He has turned off his sharingan. Those eyes remain fixed past me, concentrating on their destination point. The atmosphere around the raven is as cold as death, and his affect is flat. But all the while, I can sense that beneath the surface he is harboring an intensity that is crying out for blood.

The seconds tick by in my mind, and finally Itachi glides past me. His movements are effortless and barely disturb the calm of the air, but after he descends the stairs silently, there is perceptible change in the room's temperature in this wake. I watch him with an unshakable restlessness, my stomach turning over in knots. I continuing watching the stairs where my brother just vanished until even his shadow becomes just another flicker in my memory. I turn slowly, my breaths weighted with a foreboding anxiety that is almost making me question my resolve.

I allow my hand to linger against the cool doorknob. The tips of my fingers are brushing lightly against the brass knob, which contrasts sharply with my heated skin. It briefly occurs to me how warm my body must be to not even feel the damp chill of the cavern. I inhale deeply, slowly exhaling as I muster up the courage to go through with my plan…

I push the door open, causing the hinges to groan from the sudden strain, and step into the already lit room. An Akatsuki uniform that seemed close to my size lays folded neatly on the bed. Stepping closer, I trail my fingers over the soft fabric noting how worn the edges seem. _It must be one of Itachi's old uniforms from when he was younger._ I lift the sleeve towards my face and inhale deeply, allowing Itachi's scent to fill my nostrils. I exhale shallowly, my head spinning from the high. Everything in this room carries his intoxicating scent.

I let out a sigh as I let the sleeve fall from my hands back onto the cold, empty bed. Knowing what I must do, my eyes slide regretfully towards the closet. I want nothing more than to cast away these filthy clothes that have long since become saturated with my scent… I want replace them with the more immaculate fabrics, richly colored cloths that are enveloped in my brother's coveted scent... I realize though, that there are far more pressing matters at hand.

Unconsciously, I begin to gnaw on my bottom lip fretfully, preparing myself for the task I now face. _I can do this._ I run my hand, damp with sweat, through my spiky hair, the soft tendrils sticking to my fingers slightly. _I have to do this... Kisame, you had better be right about this._

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Itachi leans into the soft arm chair in the living room, allowing it to cradle his body as he reclines into a completely relaxed position. His eyes close lightly, in the sanctuary of his own home. Itachi lets out a sigh thoughtfully, all the while rubbing his thumb and index finger together. It is as if he is physically manipulating his thoughts in his hands. To an outsider, the elder Uchiha's demeanor would seem peaceful, like he was simply asleep.

Kisame chuckles, releasing Samehada from his back, slumping it against the arm of the couch, which sits perpendicular to the arm chair. The man with shark-like features turns quickly on his heels, allowing himself to fall lazily on the couch where he sprawls out across the entire length of the plush cushions.

He chuckles once again, flashing his dark pin point pupils at his partner, "You missed out, Itachi. I'm going to lie here all day now." He shifts on the couch slightly, sliding his indigo arms comfortably beneath his head.

Itachi's eyes remain closed, and his response is silence. He continues to calmly mull over his thoughts that he is stroking carefully between his fingers. Kisame frowns in disappointment from his partner's lack of reaction.

"If we leave for the main base in two days, then we should arrive when the others do. We're lucky to have been located so much closer than the others." Kisame laughs softly, the corners of his lips curling upward in a satisfied smirk, "Now we can rest before our next mission."

Itachi's expression remains blank, as though his partner did not even exist in the same plane of existence as him. Kisame growls menacingly, displeased with the fact that he is still being ignored. His lethal teeth flash between his lips, before he makes another attempt.

After a moment his gruff voice sounds, "I'm going to go fry some bacon and eggs." He pauses, his tone daring the other to ignore him further, "You want any?"

I step into the living room nervously, just in time to hear the tale end of Kisame's threatening inquiry. I glance in Itachi's direction, seeing that he is still reclined, deep in thought. He has not stirred at all since I slid into the room, and he continues absently rubbing his fingers together. I take in his face, relaxed and unreadable as the dim light of the cabin flickers across it, only adding to his ethereal beauty.

Kisame catches my attention with a low grunt, and I shift my eyes to see him motioning for me to open the worn Akatsuki cloak a bit further. I let out a sigh in annoyance before reluctantly opening the cloak more for his viewing pleasure. Kisame smirks in satisfaction, and I can feel his eyes slide over every subtle curve of my pale skin. A deep blush spreads across my cheeks and I shift uncomfortably beneath his gaze.

An amused smirk spreads across his shark-like features as he chuckles, his razor sharp teeth flashing me a wicked grin. I glare at him harshly before sinking deeper within the cloak, not wanting to be so freely exposed, while Kisame tries desperately to bite back a sarcastic comment.

"What is so funny?" A smooth voice asks from beside me.

I turn my head slightly to see that Itachi's ebony eyes are still hidden behind closed eyelids. For a moment, I wonder if I only imagined the question, since his composure seems quite undisturbed. I suck in a deep breath, letting it out silently as I give myself another moment to gain composure. In this single breath I imagine that all the tension which has been squeezing at my chest, and causing my muscles to tense is leaving my body as I exhale. I only wish it was the truth.

"Why don't you open your eyes, and I'll show you…" I say it as suggestively as I possibly can, allowing the last syllable to hang on my lips.

Itachi remains silent for a moment, the pause awkward and tense, before he "hm"s deeply in a rejecting manner and waves me away gracefully with a flick of his fingers. My eyes trace over his calm, collected features and an enormous amount of annoyance surges through my body that he has denied me attention after the immense effort I went through to get this far.

Internally, I can feel a scowl wanting to surface before inspiration strikes once more and a confident smirk spreads across my face. I rationalize the plan, already feeling the excitement at breaking my brother's rock solid composure.

"Alright. Fine," I continue evenly, the smirk still playing across my lips, "Then I'll just play with Kisame instead."

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_"Wait, you want me to do what?" I utter in disbelief._

_Kisame repeats himself, a mischievous smirk firmly place on his lips, but the annoyance at having to repeat himself is obvious in his voice now, "I said… You're going to put on the sluttiest outfit Itachi bought you, and then you are going to use me… Just like you used Ryoko."_

_"I didn't use her!" My temper flares in self defense, my words seething already._

_"Oh? So you weren't willingly trying to make Itachi jealous?" Kisame chuckles darkly, his eyes smiling knowingly._

_My eyes cast downward in shame, my cheeks already flushing in embarrassment. "You saw what Itachi did to her... She's dead now because of it. He'll kill you if you touch me... Then he'll probably kill me just for kicks."_

_Kisame scoffs, clearly put off by my judgment of his strength "Beat me up a bit, yeah. But there's no way he'll kill me. I'm not a push over, kid..." Kisame pauses for a moment, before snickering to himself at his next thought, "Besides, he'd spare me solely because of who his next partner could be."_

_I cock an eyebrow at him, an inquisitive frown spreading across my lips. "His next partner?"_

_Kisame flashes me a shark-like grin, brimming with self-confidence and a certain eagerness at the threat of a challenge, "You'll understand when you meet the rest of Akatsuki. Now trust me, kid, no one will die."_

_I nod slowly, my self-assurance lacking. I can't help but give him a doubtful look, knowing what happened last time, "Alright..." I pause, as if coming to terms with his idea, "Um… But can I wear the second sluttiest outfit instead?" An image of me wearing the outfit quickly flashes through my mind, causing a blush to form across my cheeks at the mere thought. Yes, I already knew which outfit he meant… It __**definitely**__ stood out in my wardrobe._

_Kisame's smirk only widens further as he shakes his head no. "I helped Itachi pick that one out." I can hear him snicker sinisterly as he offers that bit of knowledge up, and I shoot him a death glare for it.  
_

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Crossing the room effortlessly, I slide onto the couch with ease and lay down on top of Kisame, before nestling my head against his shoulder. I watch eagerly, as Itachi slides an eye open out of curiosity. My heartbeat speeds considerably as that familiar, dark ebony gaze rests on me. After a second, his other eye opens and his expression changes. All of a sudden, those eyes narrow significantly, an intense glare already making its way over his features. The previously unconscious movements of his fingers stop, as they press harshly together before tightening into a fist.

Kisame tenses beneath me at our sudden closeness, before he forces himself to relax and slides a hand casually up my side over the lump of my rear until it rests gently on the small of my back. My heartbeat speeds out of control and I allow the sense of elation to take control of my body. I seductively slide over Kisame's body, until my lips pressed lightly against the chosen earlobe. I dart my tongue out and trace the shell of his ear.

"How am I doing?" I whisper in a moan.

Kisame chuckles, "You're a bit too good at this."

Kisame's fingers grip my shoulders abruptly, pushing me upward, away from him. My eyes open quickly, and I can't shake my questioning stare before the man below me shoots me a warning look. The look in his eyes is clearly telling me that I was taking it too far_. _I smirk in satisfaction, my reaction enough to tell him that I was proud of my work_._ I watch Kisame's eyes widen in surprise, an eyebrow raising before an amused smile crosses his lips.

"What is this, Kisame?" Itachi's wintry tone demands from the nearby arm chair. He sounds far too composed for the situation.

Kisame briefly glances over in Itachi's direction, a mocking light dancing across his eyes, "What's the matter, Itachi? I thought you said that your little brother was obsolete? That was why you wanted to uproot and destroy him, right? What word did you use… was it 'extirpate'?"

"You know what I meant." His response was smooth, and deadly calm. "You cannot rebuild, without first destroying."

While listening to the exchange, I lay my hands on Kisame's broad chest, my fingers shaking lightly as I slide them against the clasps of Kisame's cloak. With a single movement on my part the cloak quickly spreads open. He leans upward allowing me to slide the cloak from his muscular frame, the smile on his lips telling me that he was really beginning to enjoy this. The indigo skin beneath me is oddly smooth, and it appears almost midnight beneath the black mesh shirt.

My pulse quickens once more, and I can feel my heart beating throughout my body, causing the surprisingly heavy Akatsuki cloak to feel far too hot for the rising temperature of my body. From my left I can feel Itachi's powerful eyes on me, and the thrill that it's _my_ actions that are causing him to feel this sting of jealousy is almost too much for me.

I can imagine how badly he must want to be the one beneath me, and how many dirty little thoughts that this act is pushing into his head. My head begins to spin with the one repeating thought... that _He wants this._

My fingers raise to the clasps of my own cloak, the scent of my brother still all around me… Deftly, I open the clasps of the cloak, my smile gracing Kisame as my excitement must be showing clearly in my eyes, "Undress me."

I can scarcely hear as Itachi rises swiftly from his chair, his feet already sliding over the wooden floorboards. Kisame's fingers slip the cloak off of my slim shoulders easily and the sudden rush of cool air against my hot skin causes goose bumps to dance over my smooth barely covered skin. The floorboards alert me that Itachi's steps stopped a few paces from the foot of the couch, and I can feel his eyes raking over my body, taking in and inspecting every inch of my flesh.

The outfit that I had been concealing beneath the Akatsuki cloak is sleeveless, the material a black mesh that leaves little to the imagination. The only solid fabric being a black cloth belt that tied in the back like a bow. Kisame's hands slowly slide up the material, marveling at its quality before his nails hungrily rake back down, leaving numerous, small tears in the tight dress. My breath hitches at the thought of Itachi watching this, and I can't help but blush crimson as my heart rate continues its mad dash.

I slide my rear down from his rock hard abdomen until I am straddling him. Pelvis on pelvis, I thrust my hips lightly, suggestively before letting out a low moan.

I'm surprised to find myself hard already, and Itachi lets out a warning growl from behind me, only increasing my awareness as I feel the pressure beginning to build inside of me.

Kisame flashes me a knowing smirk. He appears to be enjoying the dangerous situation that we're in, a situation which grows more perilous with my every move…An untamed look lights his eyes, and he roughly grips my hips before thrusting against me in return. The immense size of his erection through his clothing catches me off guard initially, and I throw my head back, my eyes falling shut as I let out an even deeper moan.

"Come on, Kisame. Itachi and I are _just_ fuck buddies." I gasp.

Kisame's eyes widen a bit at this fragment of dialogue, and I can see a look of fear forming beneath in his animalistic eyes. Pulling my face closer to his, he chuckles playfully in my ear, "Careful, kid. We're just acting, remember?"

I rock my hips against him once more, only to have him match it and grind against me even more intensely. The white heat of pleasure courses through my body, and I gasp as I can feel my slender body beginning to tremble violently. Small beads of sweat form, trailing down my spine beneath the mesh.

"Kisame, please..." I moan seductively.

A sudden crash echoes through the room, and my head turns in shock to see that the short living room table has been demolished into pieces. It only takes a split second to see that it's Itachi's fist that is buried deep into the floor. A threatening white chakra is enveloping Itachi's crouched body. In his kneeling position his black hair is hanging down, veiling his face from view so that only his demonic scarlet eyes are shining through, their intent is murderous.

Itachi lifts his pale arm slowly. The small rivulets of blood that are falling freely down his flesh contrast extremely against the snow white of his skin. Moving to stand, he tediously tucks his dark hair behind his ears revealing a face that is far too impassive to have been behind such a reaction. I watch as he rises gracefully, moving across the floor through the debris, taking no notice of it at all. The few paces it takes for him to reach Kisame and I are quick, before he gingerly takes hold of my slick shoulder, his touch so gentle it is almost bruising. Our contact is brief as he tosses me carelessly to the ground, as if I were nothing more than another piece of debris.

My back slams roughly against the hard wooden floor, the back of my head cracking against it leaving me temporarily stunned. Managing to sit up, I groan and begin to rub the back of my head. My eyes widen in panic as I distinctly hear the sound of Kisame gasping for breath a few feet in front of me. My eyes raise slowly, falling upon the looming presence of Itachi… He is leaning over Kisame with both of his thin hands wrapped tightly around Kisame's neck. His expression is passive with controlled rage, as his fingers tighten even further around his partner's neck… I can see it from here, the crimson gleam of the sharingan, shining with every intention of murder…

Kisame's exact expression is unreadable. His eyes have widened in shock and fear, but I can't help but sense other emotions mixed in as well… His indigo hands are clawing desperately up at Itachi's porcelain skin leaving trails of dark, red blood to drip down in their wake. I watch as his mouth slides open in a silent plea before his arm recoils and plunges into Itachi's face. Fear snakes through my body, as I watch in terrified awe at how Itachi slides his face back to Kisame, completely unaffected by the punch.

"Tell me, Kisame." Itachi breathes in calm hatred, "Was he any good?"

My mind raced wildly, an uncontrolled panic rushing throughout my body as I realize that I must be the one to act. I swallowed roughly, casting it away, leaving my throat bone dry. Kisame's skin has begun to pale, a line of slight purple hue beginning to form around his lips. I breathe in heavily, my mind racing for an idea, some sort of inspiration that could cease my brother's war path.

Fluidly, I snake my body up between Itachi and Kisame, wrapping my arms around Itachi's lithe frame before crushing my lips against his in a heated kiss. I can feel Itachi's body stiffen momentarily beneath my grip before relaxing and accepting my affections. His arms wrap around me tightly, possessively, as I bring up my legs to wrap around his waist. He takes a few steps backwards before lowering himself to the ground, all the while balancing my body on top of him. We hit the floor a bit roughly even with his efforts, and I land in a heap atop him, once more I feel his grip on me tighten, his nails digging into my flesh, threatening to draw blood.

A growl escapes Itachi's lips, as our lips rub roughly against one another's, his teeth taking my lower lip hostage before he bites down on my lip hard enough to release hot blood into his mouth. I gasp, opening my mouth in surprise, only to find his tongue forcing its way inside, thrashing wildly against every object it finds. I moan heatedly, pressing my body closer to his, before sliding my tongue alongside his. My legs unwrap from his thin frame and I shift to straddle him, rubbing my arousal further against his pelvis. I am satisfied when I can feel him pressing back against me with just as much force.

I break from the kiss, gasping for air just in time to hear the front door slam. I pull back to admire Itachi's expression, expecting him to be just as flushed as I am, but his porcelain skin is still unchanged and his face his still perfectly void of all human pleasure. I trail my eyes up to meet his, and find his sharingan a pool of scarlet lust... and my smile trails into a satisfied smirk.

Itachi narrows his eyes at me, and his eyes flutter back to the couch, only to narrow further at Kisame's absence. The raven's arms slide upward to my shoulders, as he begins to roughly force me off of him in disregard. A sharp pain of dejection shoots through my heart. _No._ I thread my fingers into my brother's velvet hair and pull harshly.

There is no sign of pain on his face, nor any sign that I just treaded on unstable grounds. Itachi simply pauses before looking at me with his complacent face, as if he has all the control in the world, before returning to his state of deep thought. I glare at him, hurt burning in my eyes at his coldness.

"You are quite the whore, Otouto." Itachi speaks smoothly, his tone matter of fact.

Itachi runs his delicate fingers up my smooth neck, trailing my fair jaw line with his icy touch, allowing the coldness to soak into my hot muscles. I tilt my head, giving him more leeway, closing my eyes from his harsh words.

"Only for you, _Itachi_." I groan, the pressure in my abdomen becoming unbearable.

A dry laugh ignites the air, and the coldness from its derisive tone trails up my spine, giving me a case of the chills. My mind mildly registers the voice as _Itachi_, for I cannot ever recall hearing my brother laugh… Even in my darkest dreams the laugh did not sound so inhumane. His chuckle was low and empty, like the crackle of dry leaves in the winter. The sound, meant to be reserved for happiness and joy, is void of all human emotions as it echoes through my head, cruelly mocking my heart with its ice…

I carefully, with a trembling hand, push Itachi's face away from my jaw line. My emotions have become unreadable, even to me, as I stare at Itachi's ghostly face. All life has been swallowed from his features down into the unreachable depths of his spinning sharingan. I wonder briefly where such a laugh can even come from. But then again, such an empty laugh could only come from the epitome of the absence of feeling. The man sitting before me.

I feel foolish now, perched upon my brother… straddling him erotically, waiting for him to react to _me_. How laughable, the thought of Itachi showing me any sort of love.

I think dryly to myself, "_Like an icy winter in hell," a_nd the darkest corridor of my mind chimes in sarcastically, _"This love is_ _like strangling myself for air.."._

Itachi trails his icy finger over my lip, pressing gently against it. A pleasurable chill runs through my body, until the gentle touch turns rough, and those slender digits are harshly gripping my lip.

"So how many times, Otouto," Itachi questions calmly, no trace of anger present on his features, "Have these lips touched him."

I blink in surprise, before shouting defensively, "None! Don't you get it?! Itachi, What I have to go through to get your damn affection?!"

His eyes darken considerably at my words, hidden anger boiling just below the calm, composed surface, "You tricked me." His voice is hardly audible as he whispers quietly, his grip only tightening on my lip.

I knock his hand off of my mouth, the sudden jerk on my lip causing it to burn. "Yeah," I spit in a mocking voice. "I tricked you."

In a deft movement, Itachi stands, causing me to fall off of him carelessly. I watch in livid surprise as the raven stalks silently across the floor, his actions effortless. Itachi pauses at the foot of the stairs, glancing over his shoulder to me, his features donning their usual, notorious calm.

I remain sitting on the floor, quite alone as my eyes trace his path as if of their own volition… My legs are still sprawled apart, indecently spread from where I was so hastily abandoned. A scarlet blush continues to stain my pale cheeks as I glance over the disheveled shreds of the mesh dress. It is the only thing that remains clinging to my sweaty, flushed skin and sharply contrasts with the whiteness of the smooth skin beneath it. I brush at the dark hair that is sticking against my face, framing it from the sweat.

From the top of the stairs I can feel Itachi's eyes slide calmly over me in a single sweep, taking in every feature as if memorizing it for later, before meeting my eyes in interest.

"If you want to play, Otouto," the composed voice wore a hint of calm satisfaction, "Then prepare yourself…"

I allowed myself to soak in his calm self-control, waiting for the storm that was sure to hit.

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A/N: I hope you guys liked the chapter. This one is actually my favorite so far and I really enjoyed writing it. I know I did not update what happened to Naruto or Ryoko in this chapter, but I will fill you guys in with the next updated chapter. Yes... I am making you guys wait for that. :)

Please review, and let me know what you think!

Itachi: smirks I kicked your ass.

Kisame: glares I hope Sasuke makes you his uke, smart ass.

Itachi: !!

Sasuke: evil grin


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto.

('.') ( '.' ) ('.' )

Souji doesn't own Kirby either… He just wanted to see some dancing :D

A/N: Thank you to all the reviewers especially the loyal ones who review every chapter. You guys have no idea how much I love reading the reviews. :)

And a special thanks to Souji for beta-ing this chapter. Much love. :)

I have to give Souji partial credit for the clever title. I sent this chapter to him untitled, and he sent it back titled 'Requiem et Renaissance' and I was all 'huh? what's that?'... I actually have a very small vocabulary. I write my chapters with a thesaurus and dictionary pulled up online (hence my stories have large words in them partially from the thesaurus, and partially from Souji's massive vocabulary). So I went and looked 'em up.

Requiem: A mass for the dead (for those who aren't catholic, a mass is a church service).

I have a rule when writing/ posting my chapters... If I don't know the word, I will either provide the definition or use a smaller one all know the meaning of. lol.

This story and its prequel are by far the stories I have had the most fun writing. There is a special delight from them I did not get from writing the other stories I have, and I'm not sure what it is... probably just cause Itachi is my fav character and he is in these two so much. lol. Itachi is the best.

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Chapter 14- Requiem for Love

_You cannot rebuild without first destroying..._

Itachi's words continue to echo through my head slowly ravaging every last shred of my sanity. I toss around in the large, plush bed, before rolling onto my side to face the clock. It was almost midnight. I sigh loudly, squeezing my burning eyes shut, trying desperately to fall into some form of slumber.

_Come on, Kisame. Itachi and I are just fuck buddies._

My heart stings with regret at my past words and my fingers rise to clutch at my chest beneath the numerous folds of large, loose shirt. In my frustration, I violently kick at the covers, and my hairless naked legs sprawl across the bed sheets, finally free from the suffocating depths. After a moment of silent inactivity, I shake my head roughly against the pillow, fitting for sleep,... but the images continue to tear through my head savagely.

"_Perhaps I made a mistake?" _I think idly to myself, between the memories of spoken words and moans. "_Now Itachi is mad at me... I knew I shouldn't have listened to Kisame. This didn't even crack Itachi's resolve!"_ I sigh in annoyance, already knowing tomorrow will be an even hotter hell than today...

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Kisame pushes the heavy front door open slowly and a loud groan escapes through the drafty cavern. He slides inside quietly, shutting the door behind him in as stealthily a manner as the old door allows. The shadows quickly engulf the tall shark-like man, and he quickly moves towards the staircase, but a shuffle from the couch claims his attention first. Kisame pauses anxiously, turning his head slightly before squinting his sleep deprived eyes painfully into focus on the shadow.

"Itachi...?" His voice is low, and after a pause, he continues his inquiry," Is that you?" Kisame's voice quivers with a hint of fear, as if to say, "_And here I was hoping to avoid him all day until morning."_

Itachi does not reply, but simply unmasks his chakra allowing the menacing, oppressive force to engulf the room with its power as his answer. A cold, dreadful chill crawls up Kisame's spine, sending his skin on a mad dash across his body.

"Your little brother told you that we're not serious, didn't he? Your brother only wanted to get your affection." Kisame tries desperately to steady his voice, but it wavers slightly nonetheless.

The Uchiha's silence only serves to thicken the sense of unease that had already been stagnantly weighing down the air. All around him, the shadows appear to shift of their own accord across the walls, as if only to add to his Kisame's anxiety. Kisame's bestial, ebony eyes fix nervously on the fine outline of his partner, who is planted on the couch, with his back to him.

"And what part of you," Itachi begins, his placid voice contrasting sharply with the violence in his chakra, "thought this was a good idea?"

Kisame's throat tightens in dread, and his eyes fix unblinkingly on his partner, afraid to miss even the slightest of movements. The chakra grows denser, pressing the unspoken threat hard against Kisame's body constricting the forced breaths in his fear-stricken chest. A silent bead of sweat slides down the side of Kisame's indigo face.

_Right, like I'm stupid enough to answer that. Heh._ "And do you think it's a good idea to destroy your brother's emotions?"

"Are you questioning me, Kisame?"

The ice etched into Itachi's complacent voice causes Kisame to take a small step back in surprise. The tone of the younger man's voice was almost pleasant, as if they were discussing their day serenely over a cup of tea, but Kisame could hear the underlying implication of danger. The sheer force of the chakra was anything but tranquil as it attempted to squeeze the life out of him, breath by breath.

With a decent bit of effort put forth, Kisame sucks in a deep, shaky breath. He attempts to calm his frayed nerves by forcing the air into his lungs, a last defense against the oppressive force of the chakra. He is all too keen on shedding the weight of the situation, the weight of Itachi's passive rage, as his eyes drift to the stairwell.

Kisame eagerly avoids the question, scurrying around the trap, clearly being put into the role of Itachi's entrapped mouse… a mouse that Itachi was much too enthusiastic about destroying… like his partner was just searching for a reason to kill him, "That's what you intend to extirpate, right? You want to destroy your brother's emotions, just like you destroyed yours by killing your clan."

A sudden force slams against Kisame's chest, squeezing his torso far too tightly. Kisame grunts, stumbling backwards surprised as the air is knocked once again from his already starving lungs. Like a ragdoll, his body falls limply against the stairwell and the sensation of a few steps embedding into his back racks his body. He gasps for breath, his heart rate eventually falling back into a steady rhythm. His tender ribs burn from the unexpected force of chakra.

"Emotions make one weak, indecisive in battle." Itachi's hushed, carefully thought out reply drifts through the silent room, "Rebirth is a slow, painful process. Otouto will be stronger in the end thanks to my means, just as he became stronger from my test."

Kisame remains silent as he climbs to his feet sluggishly, exhausted from the long day and the sudden clash with Itachi. He quietly turns, slipping out of the dense, chakra-filled room and begins to ascend the stairs. Enjoying the privilege of free air flow, the tall man takes the liberty of sucking in a few deep breaths, the lack of pressure against his large, muscular chest coming as a relief. Kisame smoothes his disheveled cloak back into place, shaking off the last bits of residual terror from the incident in the living room.

The older missing-nin pauses, casting a lingering stare down the dark stairway at the back of the large couch. He knows he shouldn't, all of his senses telling him to just shut up and continue up the stairs, but he couldn't resist having the last word.

"Stronger, huh. Well, next time you look at your little brother, tell me you see 'strong' in how he writhes from your torment." Kisame spits out sarcastically.

"Are you going to bed or conversing?" Itachi's calm reply comes from directly beside Kisame.

Kisame jumps slightly, shocked by how silently his partner had maneuvered beside him. He knows he shouldn't be, as he has never been able to hear Itachi's footsteps. Those thin pupils search the area where Itachi's voice had come from, but the room is far too dim to make out the other in anything but vague detail. The older man turns slowly, carefully, fearful that his partner's calm anger will lash out at any moment.

The taller ninja quickly climbs the stairs and navigates through the pitch black corridors until he encompasses the small brass knob of his bedroom door with his large hand.

"Sleep well, Kisame." The menacing words of his partner flow smoothly from beside him, like the finest silk against his skin.

Kisame sighs, partly to relieve the growing tension in his chest and partly out of annoyance. Then, it hits him like a brick. _He thinks I'm after his brother. _Kisame snickers lightly, glancing in amusement at the source of the voice. He can faintly make out the dim glow of crimson eyes, which narrow into cruel razors at the sound of his laughter.

"You know, if you kill your brother's emotions, then you kill his love for you as well... and then, we can both-" Kisame's snide remark drops dead, as the words catch in his rapidly tightening throat.

Itachi's eyes darken, taking on a murderous glow that sends Kisame's blood to ice in his veins. The shark-like man quickly twists the door knob and shoots into his room. Beyond the mahogany surface, Kisame can feel Itachi's glare. The Uchiha merely shakes his head, breathing in the poorly masked scent of fear on the other side. With the click of a locking knob, Itachi turns briskly on his heels and travels the short distance to his room.

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The sound of a twisting door knob jolts me from my troubled thoughts. My eyes quickly flutter shut and I make a conscious effort to slow my breathing, limiting my body movement to only the occasional gentle stir. The thought that I'm laying sprawled indecently across the bed in nothing but my brother's shirt flashes through my mind. I could just imagine it, the black shirt hanging loosely over my small frame, revealing a creamy white shoulder from its oversized collar and two milk white legs from the hem that cuts off at my thighs. _Well, it's not like he hasn't already seen me naked. _A deep blush heats my cheeks at the thought. _But still..._

Eyes closed, I can hear the rustle of clothes being discarded on the floor. I feel a small dip in the mattress as my brother adds his weight in the bed, and the shift of cloth as Itachi makes an attempt to fiddle with the covers.

"Otouto... get off the blankets." Itachi's soothing voice speaks what is undoubtedly an order. A long, silent pause fills the room, as I lay on the blankets, pretending to be asleep. "I know you're awake." A hint of impatience fills his words.

"_Oh no you don't." _I think childishly to myself as I continue to play possum, wanting desperately to not have to deal with the object of my recent fantasies and worries. I scrunch my eyebrows at the feeling of fingers trailing lightly across my thighs. I slowly become aware that Itachi is sliding the hem of my shirt up, letting his touch tease the bare flesh.

I squeak involuntarily, shooting up in bed, before jerking the bottom of my shirt over as much skin as it could cover. I blush scarlet red, an icy glare already crossing my features at Itachi.

"Itachi! What the-!" The words die quickly on my tongue, as my eyes nearly shoot out of my head in shock.

I swallow hard, and painstakingly course my eyes from Itachi's well composed, relaxed face to his slender neck, down the soft dip of his milk white shoulder to the smooth, creamy expanse of skin on his perfectly chiseled chest. I nibble at my bottom lip, and allow my eyes to travel lower to his well-toned, muscular abdomen. I unconsciously slide my tongue across my bottom lips wetting the quickly drying skin. My gaze drifts even lower, eyeing the dark hem of his boxers which prevents my eyes from exploring further.

As if reading my thoughts, Itachi hooks his thumb into the hem and drapes his lithe arm loosely over his abdomen in a natural, yet teasing manner. My eyes shoot up, the hate already playing across them only to meet his calculating, steady gaze. It is as if his twisting sharingan are burrowing deep into my core, breaking me apart… revealing my thoughts and intentions.

"Get off the blankets." Itachi repeats in the same silky, passive voice, and I feel my body quiver in desire at the familiar tone.

I slide off the soft blankets and Itachi skillfully snaps them over us in a single quick motion. He shifts onto his side, and I practically drool over how his black tresses glide over the supple nape of his neck. My body begins to flush, and I can feel the pressure beginning to condense in my abdomen. Itachi tilts his head curiously to glance at me, and a few more raven strands slide teasingly across that tantalizing skin.

"Something wrong, Otouto?" Despite his expressionless face, I can hear the smirk etched into his words.

I swallow hard again, the thick lump tearing down my throat, and turn my back quickly to him while slipping deep beneath the covers. I whimper, my neglected erection sliding against the soft fabric with every movement. _When did I start wanting him so badly? _I wonder angrily, stringing a few rather inventive curse words through my head at how emotionless he could be, especially while sharing the same bed. _I can't sleep in his bed every night. This is torturous. What would he say if I asked to sleep with Kisame? _I kick myself mentally. _No, no! Sleep in his bed, not with him... whatever. _I mentally wipe my thoughts clean and try once again to catch the sleep I so desperately covet.

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I moan softly, the clouds of sleep drifting from my foggy head, before I return to nuzzling my face deep into Itachi's soft body wrapping my arms and legs possessively around his cushiony frame... his soft, plush frame? My eyes snap open in confusion to discover that I've become entwined in an ocean of white fabric. I lift my heavy head to gain a better view of the pillow I must have been spooning whilst lying on my side. I roll my eyes at my pathetic behavior. _Some proud Uchiha I've become. The Great Sasuke, straddling his lover, the pillow... Moron... _My inner monologue condescends mockingly.

I release the pillow, kicking it a few times to let out my pent-up frustration. Slowly I slip from the soft down of the bed, which has since grown undesirable in the absence of Itachi. I sigh deeply, the regret gripping my chest. _Itachi doesn't love me... how could I be so blind to think... _A sharp chill gooses my skin from the familiar, seemingly unrelenting draft of the cavern. I tremble violently crossing the room to the closet. An artistic splash of red and black catches the corner of my eye, and I turn to see the same Akatsuki uniform from yesterday draped over the back of the small, wooden chair in the corner. I roll my eyes in childish agitation. _Does Itachi think I'm some kid he needs to set out clothes for?_

Still, I find myself eagerly stripping the large shirt to replace it with the Akatsuki uniform, inhaling Itachi's invigorating scent while I draw it on over my head. I smile contently, making the moment last as long as I can. When my eyes finally slide open, a few small crumbled up balls catch my eye in the garbage can. I recognize them immediately, noticing for the first time that my big brother had removed my clan's insignias from the bedroom walls... the ones I had taped to the walls in a tile pattern during my rebellion.

I growl in agitation slamming my fist against the hard wood of the dresser, its rattle filling the room. Itachi _always_ had to win, and the annoyance of that simple fact simmers the red blood in my veins to a boil. I roughly jerk my fist from the dresser's surface and turn sharply on my heels to leave. The sheer swiftness of my movement causes a small note to stir. I pause, watching it as it floats to the floor. I skillfully catch the stray paper, raising it gingerly to my curious eyes, the scrawls of my runaway note staring back at me.

_I am sick of being your dancing fuck puppet, Itachi, you heartless bastard. I am not yours, I never will belong to you. I hate you, now leave me alone!_

I stare a few moments longer at the last word, allowing it's vicious tone to grill into my head. A bitter fear at the word's implication begins to gnaw at my heart. I pray wordlessly, hoping to God that Itachi didn't take the note seriously. Despite how meaningful those words were to me at the time, my brash foolishness has cost me enough in my lifelong pursuit of his love, and all because I am just _too_ fucking proud... It's just like Kisame had said. I shake my head in anguish, amazed by my own stupidity as I prepare to discard the shameful note. Leaning forward to toss it away, some writing on the back of it catches my eye. Furrowing my brow, I turn it over, my curiosity getting the best of me. The words staring back at me cause my mouth to slide open in astonishment.

_If you are sick of dancing alone, Otouto, then perhaps you should ask me for a dance..._

I reread the words in disbelief, before allowing the paper to fall to the ground. Closing my eyes, I allow the memories of our past encounters to wash over me with a new fondness that leaves a small smile playing across my lips. My hindsight on our brief scuffles is a hundred times clearer now, and I wonder how I could have been so foolish as to have not seen it then... _My brother had been flirting with me the entire time..._

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"The medics didn't learn much from the brunette's body, other than that she was a water type and that she carried Orochimaru's curse seal. She had nothing with any useful information with her either. We are assuming that she was the red head's partner, but we cannot be certain." Shizune begins, her tone serious.

Kakashi motions to the aforementioned red head on the table, "How is she?"

Shizune frowns, her disappointment apparent as she slides the white medical sheet over the body, "I'm sorry, but there was nothing more I could do. It's a shame. We don't even have a name to mark her grave with."

"I do..." Kakashi whispers quietly, his expression detached, "She was the infamous bounty hunter, Crimson."

The medical ninja's head jerks up to face Kakashi, their eyes meeting in silence. Her short, dark hair hugs her face, sticking to the visible sheen of sweat from long hours of keeping watch over a patient in critical condition. Her eyes narrow at Kakashi suspiciously, "How could you know that...? **No one** knows what Crimson looks like. There is barely any information on her... Besides, she's wasn't found with the spiritual sword that she was famous for wielding."

"No... She wasn't..." Kakashi pauses, certain of his suspicions. The circumstances however, were sending his judgment on their own rollercoaster ride, "But I fought her once, a long time ago... I just didn't recognize her at first. Her body has matured so much since our last encounter."

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_Kakashi was leaping through the trees, following Pakkun back to his comrades which they had become separated from. At a small tuft of scarlet flashing past his vision, Kakashi expertly lands on the ground, prepared to investigate the cause of the disturbance._

_"Alright, come out." Kakashi shouts confidently, his awareness heightened at the prospect of battle, "I know you're there."_

_A small, girl who appears to be about twelve slides from the bushes, dried blood soaking her clothes and staining her tanned skin. Her long, red hair was hanging in loose tendrils, those too clotted with blood. The girl looks shyly up to Kakashi through her numerous strands of matted hair, a light blush staining her skin still a further shade of crimson._

_Kakashi blinks a few times in surprise, caught off guard by the sight of the girl before him. __**She's such a young girl, and she's covered in so much blood… What's more astounding though, is that there's not a single scratch on her. **_

_His eyes move over the little girl carefully, taking in the small details of her appearance. Her stance strikes him first. The weight of her body being based more on one leg than the other, as if the other leg were injured and couldn't bear the weight… Then, how her arms hung limply at her sides… Continuing on that path his eyes pause as they come to an unusual sword. The blade seemed like a ripple in water that had tear drops punched through the blade... As his eyes slide down the metallic surface, his vision is overwhelmed by an excess of blood dripping down the weapon._

"Crimson was famous for that." Shizune's tone is matter of fact as she goes through the rumors that made up the young woman's personal history , "She was known for delivering her bounty's covered head to toe in their own blood. She was known for her skilled swordsmanship."

Kakashi nods, "She was incredibly skilled, and not just for her age." _But that wasn't what bothered me about the battle..._

_Kakashi grins as the slender body before him slams against the tree, the bark cracking from the force of the impact. Moving rapidly forward, he slams his Chidori towards her small frame... but the ball of condensed lightning stops an inch from her heart. The Copy Nin's brow furrows in a combination of disappointment and confusion, as he stares at the red head's soft, genuine smile. Her kind eyes flashing gently at the older man, and Kakashi shudders at the sudden sensation of cold steel resting on the side of his neck._

_"I wasn't hunting you, Mister. I'm just passing through." A frown spreads across the man's lips, knowing that he had never heard a sweeter voice._

_Kakashi pauses, his eyes sliding down the surface of the blade that was placed all too gently against his jugular. He couldn't help but be at a loss, the girl's demeanor was anything but expected. Taking a few cautious steps back, Kakashi moves away from the blade, increasing the distance between them. The little girl turns quickly, the smile never leaving her lips as she disappears into the thick brush. The silver haired man allows his eyes to fall shut, replaying the event in his head, already trying to sort out the confusion. He knew the blade had reached his neck long before the Chidori was close enough for impact..._

_"She could have killed me..." He whispers to himself, the knowledge of that simple fact plaguing him with the all encompassing question of 'Why?'_

_Why didn't she kill me…? She just smiled... Why?_

"Crimson, assuming that this _is_ her, didn't die from the recent injury to her liver, but instead from a mass of past injuries." Shizune's voice is quite, as if somehow saying the news quietly was more respectful in the presence of the deceased.

"What do you mean exactly?" Kakashi asks, raising an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Lady Tsunade must have been right about the girl being a medic. Her body is riddled with scars and remnants of previously healed injuries. I'm not saying there were other injuries, because there weren't. She very skillfully healed them all... but a body can only heal itself so many times before it takes its toll..." Shizune lets out a sigh, exhausted from her attempts to save the girl. "Her body was weakened from being healed over and over... and it finally just... gave out..."

Kakashi remains quiet, glancing in muted confusion at the form hidden beneath the white sheet. He kept his questions to himself, pondering over the young, seemingly innocent girl who had chosen to engage in the criminal act of bounty hunting. _It makes sense now. She wasn't covered in her bounties blood... She was covered in her own._

"It's sad really... We don't even know her real name." Her voice is tinted with genuine sorrow, regret at the loss of a life.

"Yeah..." Kakashi whispers, his tone reserved, "But Crimson wasn't working for Orochimaru."

"How could you be so certain." Shizune scoffs softly, "Bounty hunters go wherever the money is."

"I just know." His tone is unchanged, as he pushes back the questions that will never be answered.

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I enter the kitchen quietly, hostile silence filling the room to the brim. I shudder lightly from the inhospitable cold, and slink towards the table. Kisame is crunching uncomfortably on some bacon, licking the oil from his greasy fingers before he smears his blood stained cloak with them. The shark-like man runs a tongue along his razor sharp teeth, his composure fixed and proud as he sits erect in his chair, but I can see an underlying discomfort as he shifts in unease beneath Itachi's harsh gaze.

_He must still be mad. _I think to myself, turning my attention to Itachi whose blood red eyes are glued on Kisame in harsh discontent. He sits, reclined in the chair, his form molding to the contour of the wooden seat easily. His position is relaxed as he allows his lithe left arm to dangle effortlessly over the back of the chair, all the while the right feeds him his morning fruit. I follow the juice hungrily with my eyes watching it in fixated lust as the liquid dribbles from his mouth down the soft curve of his chin. As if he knows of my unsatiated desire, a wet tongue greedily laps up the escaped juice from his lip, and I swallow back a moan from the sultry motion.

I shake my head knocking the adulterous thoughts from my head, scolding myself for having such little self-control. I reach for the chair that is placed in between them, preparing to sit down to breakfast. A plate of bacon and eggs is already waiting for me from Kisame's forethought. Suddenly the chair is jerked roughly from my grip grating loudly across the wooden floor towards Itachi's side. I glance beneath the table to see Itachi's foot unwinding from the leg of my chair before slithering back to his side of the table. I glance back up to Itachi, his expressionless face revealing no specific reason for his actions. His cold, crimson eyes are merely narrowed in malice towards Kisame.

I have always found it striking, how even when Itachi is being cruel he still manages to drape himself in an incomparable elegance. His midnight locks frame the same perfectly complacent face, undisturbed with the faulty lines of human expression, giving his beauty a nature only captured by art. His fine, porcelain skin traces across his body sharply defined by the dark cloth that hangs loosely from his slender, graceful limbs. But to me, the epitome of his allure will always be in how the still, unmoving grace of his passive face sharply contrasts with the pools of deep seeded turbulence of his fiery eyes. It is quite fitting, how the prodigy of our clan should have the passion of such fire in his eyes. It is as if it's breathed to life, and only fueled further by the fan that made up our crest.

His head tilts slightly, sending a cascade of ebony locks across his smooth, flawless ivory skin. I watch, entranced by the heavenly display of perfection before me.

Letting out a sigh, I slide into the chair at my brother's side before pulling my plate in front of me, "How long are you going to stay angry, Itachi?" I ask. My tone only holds the slightest trace of annoyance as I fixed the folds of my Akatsuki cloak on my small frame.

Itachi remains silent, his expression revealing no sign that he even heard my words. Kisame throws me a smirk, tilting his head towards me to gain a better view, "You decent beneath that cloak today, kid?" His voice is playful.

Itachi's eyes take on a murderous glow and his face appears to have morphed into the consistency of stone, clearly not amused by his partner's comment. I smirk, my eyes shifting to Itachi as a teasing grin spreads across my face, "For now."

"If you want him, then take him." Itachi speaks slowly, carefully. His voice revealing not a trace of emotion from his stone set face.

Kisame abruptly lays his hands flat on the table, leaning back in surprise. I stare at Itachi, hurt from my attempted pass being thrown back in my face. However, the sting from the verbal slap only heightens when Itachi smoothly speaks his next heartless, detached words.

"We're just fuck buddies after all." Itachi turns to face me, his tranquil face revealing how purposely the statement was spoken. His eyes sharply contrast his cool, composed face with a vicious hatred I can feel tearing my heart to shreds.

I turn my eyes towards the table, downcast. _The full effect of my past actions are finally catching up to me. This is truly all my fault. I cannot blame it all on Kisame's idea, because I was the one who was too naive and foolish to see Itachi's seemingly cold pranks for what they really were... A lover's tease... I was the one who never teased back… Now the most coveted love, a love that was freely given, is gone... Because it wasn't good enough for me... And now it is truly unattainable…_

I bite my lip, my deep thought etched into my facial features. My brow slips limply into a sorrowful image, before I rise from the table dejected and turn towards the kitchen doorway. Kisame glances from me to Itachi, and then back to me with a slight hint of worry on his face. _This isn't good... Our partnership will fall apart if this isn't resolved... _Kisame rises a bit too quickly from the table, jarring it lightly, but not quite enough to take Itachi's cold eyes from my back.

Kisame catches up to me, resting a large hand on my shoulder. His massive arm drapes around my small shoulders falling in perfect sync with me as I take my sluggish steps. He leans his head down, his breath whispering sly words into my ear.

"Don't mind Itachi. Come on, let's go to my room…"

I can feel the burn of Itachi's sharingan, as it focuses intently on our backs. All of the rage that had been boiling beneath the surface was evident in that glare as those eyes fell analytically across the scene before him. Our bodies linked partially together… sashaying towards the kitchen doorway.

"Where are you going." Itachi's voice is quiet and all too placid, as if daring us to make him speak any louder as we make our exit.

I pause momentarily in the doorway, not bothering to turn and face his beautiful form.

"To Kisame's room," My answer comes a bit too harshly, but it suffices and we both continue forward before disappearing through the doorway.

I can feel Itachi's violent eyes burrowing holes into my back long after we leave the room.

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_My eight year old boy slid its petite form across the bed affectionately against the warm encompassing form of my older brother, my spiky tuft of hair nuzzling into the nook of the elder's soft neck lovingly._

_I giggled playfully, fisting the dark shirt of my aniki into tiny fists, before gazing up adoringly into the dark abyss of aged eyes._

_"I love you, aniki," I cooed, pledging my undying song to him, "You love me too?"_

_My only desire is to hear those words, and my eager ears listened intensely for the phrase to be pledged back. Such simple words... but the meaning is enough to drive one to despair when not requitted, verbal or otherwise._

_For that reason, I waited impatiently, with heightened hearing, and I listened avidly to the chorus of our synchronized hearts beating as one. My aniki turned to me, his passive face perfect chiseled porcelain and his eyes hollow depths of black space..._

_"__**Love is an illusion...**__" Itachi's smooth, silky voice tore through me like razors._

_"My love for you is not an illusion." I spat back in defensive denial, hurt brimming my large, ebony eyes in the form of tears._

_I stared up adoringly into the calm face of the one I esteemed on such a high pedistool above all else, and I did not believe those words, casting them aside as a lie... because aniki's love was the breath in my lungs, and his affections came in the form of shared secret kisses and jolts of passion flaming through his eyes before being swallowed into its black depths. It was those secrets that made me special to him... the unspoken moments exchanged only with me._

_If I believed the lie, swallowed its poisonous words and cast aside this love Itachi deems an illusion... then I would have suffocated..._

_But is it an illusion? Itachi, __**show me**__, please, for this silence is..._

_**The eclipse of my death... falling into the obscurity of your eyes...**_

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A/N: Did you like? I hope so. :)

If the italicized style or writing at the end, where Sasuke is eight in the flashback, seems a bit different from the rest of the chapter, that's cause idiot me forgot to add it before I sent it to Souji, my beta, so the italicized ending wasn't beta-ed as a result... betad? beta-ed? Whatever, my grammar sucks.

I hope to have the next chapter up soon. So please review, and let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Editor's Note: Souji likes the look of centered titles, they make him happy :3

A/N: A special thank you to all the reviewers! I love reading your reviews so much! I've really enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it every bit as much.

A special thank you to Souji for beta-ing this story. :) Wonderful job.

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Chapter 15  
– Eternity –

(A/N: A week after Sasuke made it back with Kisame and Itachi to their cavern home)

"So the ANBU couldn't find any more information?" Kakashi queries, his voice giving away his disappointment as he and Tsunade stroll slowly down the hospital's wide hall.

The tired blonde to his left lets out a sigh of frustration as she wipes at the sheen of sweat forming along her brow. She had been going over piles of reports all morning and yet it seemed as if she had not gotten much further in her quest for information.

"We have an anonymous Sound Ninja, who was most likely there to bring Sasuke to Orochimaru. We also have the bounty hunter Crimson, who I am assuming was there to stalk the Jane Doe to the Sound and then collect Orochimaru's bounty..." Tsunade pauses, her expression deepening as her frown turns serious, "But… I have no idea why the Akatsuki were there, and what they would want with Sasuke."

"Something has been bothering me about this whole situation." Kakashi speaks thoughtfully, stroking his chin. His body comes to an abrupt halt, as does Tsunade's beside him. There is a momentary pause before Tsunade's eyes move to meet Kakashi's, his expression serious, "Do you remember what Crimson said when we first found her in the forest?"

The blonde woman merely shakes her head slowly, racking her brain desperately to remember the dying woman's words. It is of little use, as piles of reports later, she had considered herself lucky to remember the name alone. After a signaling glance, Kakashi continues, his doubts growing with every word, "Crimson said, '_We came from the rain. That's where we found Sasuke.'_ That implies Crimson was traveling with the Sound Ninja."

"I thought you said Crimson would never work with Orochimaru..." Tsunade's voice is stern as she speaks, her brows furrowing in frustration. After a momentary pause her expression lightens at the sudden connection, "Unless she didn't know that the Jane Doe was a Sound Ninja... The only thing marking her as such _was_ the curse seal. That would explain why their path was leading towards Konoha instead of the Sound... The Jane Doe planned to betray her partner first."

There is a nod of affirmation from Kakashi, "But that still doesn't explain why Sasuke was traveling with them in the first place. Nor why the Akatsuki were targeting Sasuke. Why did the Jane Doe pick Konoha to travel towards instead of some other village, if it was truly just to betray her partner? We never posted a bounty on Sasuke."

Long fingers rise, absently rubbing at the tension that had been forming beneath her temples, "I don't have a clue. This whole run-around is giving me a headache..." Letting out a small sigh, she couldn't help but think,

'_I could really use some sake right now.'_

As if in silent agreement, the silver haired man beside her also lets out a sigh, his head bowing in unspoken frustration, "Perhaps we will never know." Kakashi tilts his head towards a hospital door a few paces away, "It's been over a week now, is Naruto really still injured?"

A frown creases the lines of Tsunade's face, a certain regret only serving to deepen the lines, "He was on the brink of death when you brought him here… The kid heals so quickly... All of his injuries healed a couple of days ago, but..." Her eyes had been downcast, images of Naruto's face flitting through her subconscious. After a moment, her gaze rises to meet Kakashi's, their eyes locked in flash of concern, "Something happened in those woods... Something Naruto refuses to talk about... He's been depressed ever since then."

Kakashi simply remains silent, his eyes scanning the bleak aura that seems to seep forth from Naruto's desolate door, "I see... then perhaps we should visit him."

There is a small nod on Tsunade's part as they both move slowly towards Naruto's closed door. They slide the door open quietly, not wanting to disturb the boy. When a flash of yellow catches their eye, it lasts only a second before Naruto quickly hides it beneath his hospital covers. His innocent blue eyes gape up at them joyfully. All the while the dark circles beneath are threatening to encompass his under eye area entirely. A large lopsided grin claims his oily face, and a hand comes up to run through the locks of blonde hair that appears as though it has enjoyed a week of free reign.

"Hey guys! Whatcha you up to?" He chides merrily, despite his rather disheveled appearance.

The woman's eyes merely slide over him in confusion, this not being at all what she expected, "Well... I see you're feeling better."

"Yep! Nothing's gonna keep me down!" Naruto says, in his usual overly enthusiastic tone, all the while his fist pumping the air confidently. Kakashi's eyes shift to Tsunade, merely shaking his head, a small smile visible by the folds of his mask.

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(A/N: Second day after Sasuke arrived back at the cavern with Itachi and Kisame)

Kisame and I are sitting on his bed, the silence overwhelming us. My eyes cast in a distant gaze towards his floor, still dejected over Itachi's recent cold demeanor towards me. I realize though, the sorrow that now truly stings my heart is the knowledge that I had Itachi's love... I had it, and I lost it all because of my foolish pride. The mere thought that Itachi loved me sinks into my stomach, bittersweet, only further fueling the nausea of my regret. Knowing that I threw it all away, because I desired a love that was more tangible... Because the type of love Itachi offered wasn't good enough for me...

Salty tears sting my dark eyes, causing them to appear red and puffy. Quickly, I hide the shameful display behind my already quivering palms, not wanting to cause myself anymore unnecessary embarrassment.

I unconsciously shift the weight of my body against Kisame's bed, lost in thoughts of what I could have done differently, and how things would be now if I hadn't been so foolish... Thoughts of Itachi and I… together. I bite my lip, trying to redirect my thoughts, from the sharp pain of loss to the dull pain of existence, of humanity. I hear a deep sigh next to me, followed by Kisame's gruff voice,

"Listen, Kid. Don't be so upset. Just give Itachi space, he'll come around."

"No! He won't…" My voice cracks, as a result of my throat, tight from the tears. A few more slide unhindered down my cheeks, and I can feel as my body continues to shake with all my shame, "I've lost him, and it's all your fault! If we hadn't tried to trick him..." I can feel the surge of misdirected anger quiver through me, affecting every bit of me, right down to the whisper that I cannot bring myself to finish…

Kisame remains silent, his presence one of practiced calm beside me. There is a frown etched into his indigo face as he speaks, "Well, there's nothing between us, is there?" His tone is a little too harsh, and it feels almost berating in my pathetic state, "I was only turned on by the potential of danger, by the situation, not by you personally. And I would imagine that you were only turned on because of Itachi's presence. Am I right?"

My balled fists rise, desperately brush away the tears so that I can face him, but the tightness in my throat refuses to disperse. The agony at Itachi's rejection squeezes at my heart once again, as a flash of his stoic, icy face flashes through my head, the compression in my chest only allowing a breathless "Yes" to escape my swollen lips.

"Look at me, Kid." Kisame demands sternly, eyeing my hidden face, "I said, 'Look at me!'"

I slowly slide my quivering hands down my slick face, my reddened eyes meeting his in a tormented gaze. Unconsciously, I begin to bite down on my bottom lip again, hiding the previous damage I'd already done to it. Kisame's pinpoint black eyes meet mine in disappointment, his frown still displayed clearly across his shark-like features.

"I have my doubts that Itachi will give up so easily, Kid."

_But what if Itachi does give up?_ My inner voice ventures, asking that burning question that my lips dare not speak aloud. Again, the anguish that this mere thought brings is too much to bear. I squeeze my burning eyes shut, and imagine myself beside Itachi e_very day_ acting out my part as a member of Akatsuki. Sleeping with him in the same warm bed... and never being able to touch him.

Without thinking, I grab a hold of Kisame's cloak. My slender fingers wrap tightly around the fabric and pull him desperately towards me, my lips crushing roughly against his with the quick and ungraceful movement. I can feel his body stiffening beneath my touch, his lips inactive and awkward against my own. I beg silently for this expression of need to bring some sort of relief from the pain. My only thoughts being that perhaps, if I can lose myself in this moment, then my love for Itachi will fade into nothing more than a distant memory and I can forget this hellish nightmare.

After a moment, I can feel large hands firmly gripping my shoulders, gently pushing me away from Kisame's large form. Slowly, I open my tear-streaked eyes to meet Kisame's, not really caring what he thinks of me… Although… I am still surprised when I don't see any anger evident in his shark-like features. Kisame releases my shoulders, before returning to his casual half-sitting position. His hands rest on his legs, while he stares absently into the distance.

_The kid isn't even blushing from the kiss... He must be really fucked up right now to do something that he doesn't even enjoy. _"Why did you-?"

I cut off Kisame's inquiry with my own, "Why didn't you kiss back? You were enjoying it back on the couch."

Kisame snorts. "I already told you, I'm turned on by danger, not you. I like the adrenaline rush from danger as much as I like dismembering my victim's bodies with Samehada." Kisame smirks wickedly at the memories, his razor sharp teeth glinting to match the wild look in his eyes. "Besides, Itachi's my best friend."

"I want this." My voice quivers, despite the firmness of my statement, all the while anguish threatening to break my resolve.

I slip the dark cloak off of my small frame, revealing an ocean of soft, alabaster skin beneath a black mesh shirt. I glance back up at him, my eyes desperate and tormented. Fresh tears glisten in the corners of those eyes, and my uncertainty and lack of desire for him are clouded out by pathetic human need. I move onto my knees and crawl across the bed towards him, repositioning my small frame to mold against his. My arms are draped loosely around his neck as I sit on his lap. Beneath me, his body is rigid out of what I can only imagine is nervous tension. Tugging at the broad neck part of his Akatsuki cloak, I finally free his cerulean neck… Slowly, my lips press lightly against that neck, in brief chaste kisses, my silent tears falling down the soft curve of my cheek only to join in kissing the indigo neck... the only indication of my agony.

Kisame blinks a bit at this, a look of mild astonishment registering across his usually calm features. His thoughts are unreadable. However, there is not a part of me that cares what his thoughts are. The only thing I want now is to lose myself in another person's body, to forget what Itachi's skin felt like against me, what his kiss was like... and what loving him was like.

My voice begs him, my one desire on the tip of my tongue, to be free of this unrequited love.

"I want to forget all about Itachi. Make me forget…"

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(A/N: sepia is a color that is brownish-gray; pensive means deep in thought)

Itachi stalks up the dimly lit stairs, his footsteps silent as he climbs step after step. The soft shadows play across his passive expression, causing his beauty to appear in almost sepia tones, but his mental state is pensive, as Kisame's words from last night are plaguing his mind chewing through his every thought. Itachi knew he was right; although, he would never admit it for the sake of his pride.

"_If you kill your brother's emotions... then you kill his love for you as well."_

Itachi's expression remains still, appearing void of all the thoughts clashing in his mind. He has never been one to give sway to sentiment, nor is he one to choose emotion over logic. In the wake of his rational mind, a wall of apathy was erected ensuring such feelings would never taint pure reason. Being a creature of logic, he had realized this at a young age.

"_Next time you see your little brother, tell me you see 'strong' in how he writhes from your torment."_

Itachi stops dead in his tracks, his ears picking up the minute sounds easily. His slight surprise is apparent, and his eyebrow rises in question. He quickly shakes away the curiosity, his assumptions drawing him to investigate. Slinking closer, he listens intensely, his head tilting towards Kisame's bedroom door so as to not be mistaken... There was no mistake, the sound of soft moans and pants were definitely penetrating the wooden door.

His sharingan initiates almost immediately, as sharp crimson eyes narrow ever so slightly. His fingers tighten into fists, causing his violet-lacquered fingernails to dig into his soft palms. Behind the vibrant glow of his enraged sharingan, calculating thoughts flitted back and forth, as he began to plan his every move.

"Tell your brother he had better wash my bed sheets after he's done."

Itachi's head snaps towards the gruff voice that had come from his left. There stood Kisame, right beside him. Itachi shook his head slightly, blinking in utter shock, as he takes in the tall indigo form standing beside him… in the hallway. Itachi glances past him to see that the attic door a bit further down the hallway is open. His still sharingan eyes scan his partner, darting down to the items in Kisame's hands. The goods consisted of two wine glasses, a bottle of aged red wine, and a brown hand bag. Itachi directs his composed gaze towards his partner's, parting his lips in preparation for his question. Kisame merely smirks wickedly before shoving the items into Itachi's unexpecting hands before he begins down the hallway again.

"Enjoy!" Kisame calls a little too enthusiastically, already halfway to the staircase, leaving a devious laugh left in his wake.

Itachi casts his questioning eyes back towards the door, a perfectly arched eyebrow rising once more as the sound of soft moans and pants drift through the door towards him, beckoning him forth. He pauses momentarily to maneuver the objects in his hands, before quietly pushing the door open. Itachi stops dead in front of the partially open door, taking in the erotic scene before him as though he is entranced. His face remains composed and impassive, but it is his eyes that give him away… Sharingan tinted by a glint of insatiable lust.

Itachi's thin lips part in shock, watching in anticipation as his brother's small, unaware body arches wantingly into the air, the mesh shirt clinging slickly to the boy's flushed pale skin.

My thin, hairless legs are parted indecently across Kisame's silk sheets, my bare pelvis thrusting desperately into my delicate fingers. Gripping my desire hard, I allow it a few graceful pumps, before pausing and panting... waiting for the desire to build only further.

Itachi wets his dry lips, sliding his tongue over them in a single fluid swipe. Those eyes taking in how his younger brother's head is tilted back in pleasure with every thrust.

My eyes are clamped shut in avid concentration, as I try to keep decent timing with my thrusts, all the while trying not to get too swept away in the throes of passion, not wanting to cum prematurely.

The elder Uchiha silently crosses the room, his crimson eyes watching in what would appear to be calm interest. He quietly set the items on the desk next to the bed, his eyes never leaving his otouto. Itachi's expression remains fixed calmly on Sasuke, giving an appearance that would be more appropriate if he were reading the news, rather than watching his younger brother masturbate.

Not being one to sit on the sidelines, he carefully leans in, his body arching over me as he reaches his delicate fingers towards the creamy skin of my abdomen.

"I-Itachi…" I moan out his name. The name of my one desire, the one I so desperately wish to forget. _If I can just lose myself in this moment... then perhaps I can lose my desire for him as well..._

His slender fingers pause only inches from that seemingly forbidden flesh. Itachi's contemplative, lusty eyes slowly slide up the boy's milky white skin, its perfection only offset by the clinging, sweaty mesh shirt. They cross the sensuous curve of Sasuke's arching back, before moving down to his bare, pale cheeks. Itachi blinks a few times, confirming his suspicions as he watches the so-called 'sweat' run down his brother's flushed face.

"Itachi... Please..." I moan out, my pleas mingled with my muffled sobs of desperation.

"Please what, Otouto?" A smooth, teasing reply echoes through the drafty room.

My eyes fling open quickly at the unexpected reply. My complete and utter shock must be apparent enough, as it procures a brief flash of amusement through Itachi's eyes, which I am lucky enough to catch, just as he pulls his shirt over his head. My eyes skate down his pale flesh, as I realize that this article of clothing that is being removed… is the last piece that is keeping that gorgeous form from my prying eyes. Tossing the shirt aside easily, he climbs lightly onto the bed. My body tenses as he moves ever closer and my fatigued muscles are aching from the sudden contraction. Frozen to the spot, my eyes remained glued to my brother's immaculate nude form, as he maneuvers himself to straddle me.

"W-What are you doing in my room?!" My breath catches, and I'm flustered as I feel the silky skin of his thighs brushing against my own…

Itachi's nimble fingers slide beneath his younger brother's sweat and tear-slicked mesh shirt, gliding over Sasuke's slick skin, before deftly pulling it over the boy's head. Freeing that body from the last pesky article of clothing, "You mean…Kisame's room?" Itachi mumbles, his voice soft, hushed… but still restrained as his lithe form grinds lightly, teasingly against the younger Uchiha's. All the while, his lips slide down, his teeth brushing against that exposed neck, suckling upon it brutally. The effect of Itachi's actions causing red welts to begin to form, standing in stark contrast to the boy's crème colored flesh.

I stare, dazed at how easily the black tresses ghost the soft dip of Itachi's neck, watching as they cascade over the creamy expanse of his muscular back. The toned muscles of his body contract beneath the skin's surface, as his skilled fingers expertly caress the length of my sides, momentarily detouring to tweak my nipples before coming to rest on my defined hipbones. His mere touch was causing tingles of pleasure to shoot through my body, only adding to the tension that was already building in my abdomen. I shake my head quickly, tossing away the last bits of reverie that the electric jolts of pleasure has mostly rid me of. Sliding those long fingers up my body once again, I can't help but watch as my aniki begins to rub at the small nubs again. After a moment he dips his head into the crook of my neck, leaving a trail of chaste kisses before he reaches my ear. He allows his tongue to trace the shell of my ear, the visual stimulation of the situation alone, almost too much for me to bear.

"It's been a while, Otouto." I can feel his voice, breathed calmly into my ear.

I let out a heated moan, my body simultaneously arching into Itachi's skillful ministrations. Reaching up, my hand trails up Aniki's elegant frame. With my palms pressed against his chest, I can feel every movement of his muscles beneath the surface. My dominant hand though, ventures forth, threading its fingers into the soft curtain of my brother's midnight locks, while the left remains stationary. I can't help but jump slightly as I feel him lean back, his hands parting my thin legs before moving them to rest atop his own thighs. Scooting forward, I can feel his erection rubbing gently at my entrance, and the dull pressure that had been slowly forming in my abdomen this entire time spikes, causing as rush of images from our previous encounters to flash before my eyes as they flutter shut. Without thinking, my legs wrap tightly around Itachi's toned waist before I attempt to slam his pre-cum slicked, hardened member into me.

I let out a sultry moan, an inescapable pleasure shooting through my entire being as I feel him enter me. I can't help but desire more… even further physical contact, but also the release of a deeper sensation… I've been missing this kind of attention, the attention that he has been forsaking me as of late, and I can't help but begin to rock my hips forward eagerly, in tiny thrusting motions for the mere sensation of flesh on flesh.

Suddenly, I feel Itachi grip my hips harshly, the tips of his violet lacquer fingernails digging into the surface of my flawless pale flesh. A pause, an exchanged glance, before I feel him pull out, thrusting into me anew. His actions are rough, yet simultaneously controlled and a soft sigh escapes my lips, my body arching of its own accord into his affections. Leaning slightly forward, my legs still straddling his thighs, I rest my slender arms around his shoulders. I nuzzle my face into the soft dip of the crook of his neck, enjoying the feeling of his silk-like skin against my own. Itachi's undisturbed, even breaths brush past my ear, tickling the soft hairs of my skin as our bodies move in one constant, synchronized movement. The room is filled with the sound of my soft moans, and the occasional creak of Kisame's bed.

Without warning, I lean further forward, shifting my weight just enough to push Itachi onto his back. My body remains straddling him, as I seize control of the situation, wanting desperately to see his face flushed by the heat of the moment, to hear his voice, sensually moaning out my name. I rake my eyes over his beautiful body, taking in the milk-white flesh of his perfectly chiseled chest, his well toned abdomen with its contracting muscles and finally the base of what I knew to be his hardened member, as he thrusts into me again and again. Leaning forward, I press my lips to his, gently at first, stifling a moan as the erotic display shoots through my head once more. I start to pull away, just in time for his hand to raise, pushing the back of my head towards him once more, as his mouth meets mine hotly. Simultaneously, I feel Itachi's fingers grip me harder as he burrows his desire even deeper into me. I'm sure that there will be bruises tomorrow…

Slowly opening the eyes that had been clenched shut in pleasure, I glance down at the picture-perfect man beneath me. His pale skin is unsullied by the dank atmosphere of the room, his soft raven tresses are splayed evenly across Kisame's pillow. I can feel his sharp crimson eyes on me, watching my every movement; carefully analyzing my body's every desire. I too move my gaze over him as well, trying to take in his every facet. I notice how his face is ever-passive, the sense of calm around him unaffected, and revealing no intense want for my body, and I am disappointed at how his porcelain face shows not even the slightest hue of scarlet... even his breathing is undisturbed.

Before I can stop the words from spilling from my lips, they harshly tear through. "Why don't you love me?"

Abruptly, Itachi stops.

His every movement stops, right in the middle of sex?! I hadn't truly expected him to show any response to my words, and I blink in surprise at the sudden loss of friction inside me. Desperately, I try to rock my hips to try and regain it, but he holds fast onto my hips, preventing me any opportunity.

"Stop it." Itachi commands, his tone icy, even dangerous as his crimson eyes glare up at me, his fury lingering just below the surface. I raise an eyebrow at him, half-questioningly. I mildly regret bringing it up, as I silently beg him to just drop the subject so that we can continue where we were.

"You want expressed emotions, when I am passive. And you want spoken feelings, when I am reserved. Stop trying to change me."

"You act like you only want my body." I seethe cruelly.

Itachi leans forward, causing his rock hard head to move deeper inside of me. I can't help but groan as the pleasurable friction continues with the movement of his hips beneath me. Involuntarily, my head tilts backwards, a moan escaping my lips as a light blush begins to form.

His smooth, unwavering voice brushes against my ear like the silky bed sheets beneath us.

"Why do you hate what you originally loved…?" Itachi pauses, the lingering silence only serving the purpose of burying the words deeper into the forefront of his younger brother's thoughts. He continues, his statement ending in a hiss, "I am your mate, but I will never be your lover."

The last bit of his words stings deeply into my heart, and I watch his beauty with a hurt sort of disappointment. His words were the truth. _Everything I hate about him now is what originally attracted me to him._ I bite at my lower lip out of habit... _And it still is what attracts me to him now._ My eyes graze over the soft features of his placid face, unspoiled by the lines of human emotion, to his eyes, the greatest source of contrast. _This is Itachi... and he will never change._

I smirk, and nod in understanding. "Fine, but don't ever try to change me either."

Itachi nods, his still expression unchanging. "I've already accepted you."

My hips thrust forward impatiently against my brother's firm grip, as I physically beg him to continue. In unspoken agreement, he loosens his tight grip on my hips, before bucking his hips forward, thrusting even deeper into me than before. A gasp of pleasure escapes my lips before I can stop it, the short interruption having heightened my sensitivity and my longing for release. My eyes knit shut in an inescapable ecstasy as Itachi indulges himself, his body continuously pounding into mine. I can hear my heart beat pounding in my ears, the steady bass-like beat in perfect sync with Itachi's well-timed thrusts, and a blinding white pleasure rises almost too quickly for me too contain. Another heated moan escapes my lips, the syllables of my brother's name mixing into the pleasured sound easily as I try desperately not to release the growing pressure in my groin.

"A-aniki." I pant softly, as I allow my legs to press even tighter against his sides, my body straddling his all the while. My back arches into the cool air, the slight sheen of sweat on my body causing me to twitch as a chill run downs my spine. Instinctively, I lean forward, allowing Itachi's arms to wrap around me, the contact of his cool skin contrasting with my warm body. All of a sudden, he thrusts into me roughly, his hardened member hitting the spot dead on, this time sending a shiver of heated ecstasy up my spine. A moan escapes my lips, inches from his ear and I spread my legs further apart, pressing my body more forcefully down on him.

"Aniki!" The sultry plea leaks from my lips, and I quickly move away from his body. My back arches at the sudden assault of sensations, and my hands move to rest on his chest, my head tossed back in sweet rapacity. I raise my knees high, so that my feer are firmly planted on the bed, spreading my nimble pale legs yet wider for him in an indecent display. Scarlet heats my skin covering my chest and cheeks while I rock my hips, grinding against him, enjoying the light friction of my balls against his soft, yet toned, abdomen.

"I want you to fuck me like this…" I moan.

A scorching heat fills my core and Itachi's rough touch bruises my hips as he pounds into my spot mercilessly. The feeling of his release inside me sends me over the edge, and I moan out his name. All the while I grind my body just as roughly against his, allowing the pleasure to course through me, momentarily fogging my brain in a cloud of bliss while I taste a piece of heaven. A strong fatigue claims my body, and I collapse beside Itachi in Kisame's bed. I glance down at him. My eyes still fogged with rapture, and watch as his delicate fingers twirl small circles through a stray shot of my seed, which rests in a pool across the porcelain flesh of his abdomen. He raises the graceful pale digit to his thin lips and my eyes widen in shock. Slowly, Itachi's supple lips part and that tongue darts out, cleaning his fingertips in a sensuous display.

Itachi tilts his head toward me, his face content and composed. In a calm and even tone, Itachi speaks to me as though nothing unusual is happening, his tongue continuing to slide casually between his slender fingers, claiming my seed. "You cannot do that to me, Otouto."

My eyes stare hungrily at his tongue, and a familiar feeling forms in the pit of my stomach. "You want to go again?"

Itachi ponders thoughtfully. His eyes taking me in with a contemplative stare. "Let's see what's in the bag first."

I practically leap over Itachi crossing the small space to the brown bag, and I rip it open a bit too eagerly, spilling sex toys across the bedside table.

"What the h-?!" I gasp in shock. My eyes wash over the unfamiliar toys at a loss, while my mind searches for the right words. _At least there are price tags on them still, so you know they aren't used._

A possessive arm wraps around my thin waist, and I can see Aniki's hand as it selects a string of beads from the table top. Small threads of fine black hair ghost across my shoulder, playing across my flesh like it is Itachi's own. A shudder of amorous anticipation crawls up my spine from Itachi's breath tickling the baby hairs of my neck.

He rests his lips against the shell of my ear, whispering in a soothing, yet oh, so wonderfully wicked voice. "Get on the bed."

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Kisame once again adjusts the long-sleeved silk blue shirt that hangs un-tucked over the top of the black slacks that he's wearing. He flashes a quick smirk, before running his thick fingers through the flaming tuft of blue hair atop his head. Quickly, his fingers partially button the shirt, leaving the top three undone to reveal just a glimpse of his muscular indigo chest. He whips a picture out of the slack's pocket before staring hungrily down at it. The image of three naked young women stare back at up him, winking and blowing kisses, while hugging each other close in indecent positions.

"Oh yeah..." Kisame smirks, snapping the neck collar down on the silk shirt. "Kisame's coming ladies."

Kisame's fingers brush against the doorknob of the front door as he stares down at the picture, lost in his own thoughts. He prepares to step past the threshold when a voice interrupts him.

"Where's the newbie, Kisame? Hm?"

Kisame takes a step back, glancing up in surprise to see Deidara and Sasori standing directly in his path. Deidara has a arrogant smirk spread across his thin lips as he stares up at Kisame with an annoying sort of confidence. The shark-like man gives him a once over, not especially liking that one of Deidara's eyes is partially obscured by a curtain of blonde hair. Sasori, who is standing at the blonde's side, has his eyes set on his partner in a look of barely contained irritation. Kisame couldn't help but be surprised that Sasori wasn't using Hiroku, that fact alone was even more stunning than their decision to visit.

Kisame frowns, the disappointment etched into his face as he glances back down at the picture of the gorgeous ladies. A sigh of regret escapes his lips before he looks back up at the unexpected Akatsuki members standing in the doorway. _Perhaps I can just walk past them, like I have no business with them... Hmmm..._

"What are you wearing?" Sasori's tone is quiet, yet derisive as his dark eyes take in Kisame's unusual appearance.

"Where's Hiroku?" Kisame counters, ignoring the puppet master's comment.

"We're in _your _hideout. I don't need him. Now, what the hell are you wearing?" Sasori spits back, disliking the fact that he was ignored.

Kisame pauses, taken aback by the red head's sour nature. Shifting his weight, he flicks his eyes at the red head, growling in response, "It's called style, doll boy. Why are you even here?"

Sasori nods in Deidara's direction. "The brat wanted to meet the newbie first."

Kisame rolls his eyes in annoyance, glancing back to the much more preferable ladies in the picture. _Damn it all to hell... Itachi's upstairs getting laid, why the hell can't I?_ Kisame growls again, a frown tracing across his shark-like features.

"He's in my room... first door to the right, upstairs. I'm leaving now." Kisame attempts to move past them both swiftly, but Sasori blocks his escape glaring up at him cruelly from that wooden body.

Deidara slides his slim frame past Kisame's and beyond the threshold, before he disappears inside. Sasori glares at his partner's retreating form, calling to him as he vanishes. "Hurry up, brat, we're on a schedule! I hate waiting and I hate making people wait!"

Kisame frowns. _Perhaps I should tell him he's making me wait!_ "What do you want, anyway?" The disinterest in his voice is apparent.

"Whose team is the new kid on?" Sasori asks curiously, his tone exceedingly more pleasant as he stares upward, as his stature is all too short for his age.

Kisame glances back down at the red head curiously, wondering whether his sour nature truly only existed in the presence of his partner. "He's paired with Itachi and me."

"Shouldn't he be paired with Zetsu? If not, then he will cause any team he's paired with to have three members." Sasori answers matter-of-factly.

"Yes, that's true, but Zetsu is usually assigned missions that deal with gathering information. A partner would interfere with that, so the leader decided he would best compliment our team... Leader's orders." Kisame answers quickly, deciding he much preferred Sasori away from his partner.

"Mhm." Sasori nods thoughtfully in agreement, contemplating his next question.

Kisame frowns, glancing back down to the picture of the clearly aroused women. _Damn it... He's really not going to let me by. That damn Deidara had better hurry!_

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Deidara moves quickly up, skipping stairs left and right as he makes his way towards the second door on the right. Smirking eagerly, he presses his hand flat against the partially open door, silently pushing it open a bit further, only to freeze in his tracks. His blue eyes widen, his mouth hanging slack in shock.

A naked Itachi kneels on the surface of the silk covered bed, his body perched between Sasuke's indecently spread legs. The elder Uchiha is calmly working a set of azure love beads into and out of the younger member. With the man's slender back to the door, Deidara can see his dark tresses brushing across his delicate skin with every movement. Sasuke's eyes are closed, his head tilted back in ecstasy, red tinge slowly making its way across the boy's cheeks in his apparent bliss. As Itachi slides the toy in a bit more, the boy's back arches in response, to the extent that it appears as though it might break.

"Oh… Aniki… That's my favorite toy yet!"

At the uttered words, deep blush spreads immediately across Deidara's cheeks. However, he continues to watch as Sasuke's hands glide up his own inner thighs. One wraps firmly around the base of the beads, while the other grasps hold of his shaft. Slowly, he began moving them both in sync.

"Like this, Aniki… I want you to fuck me like this." Sasuke's head tilts back with a moan, before he glances up innocently at his elder brother. The edges of Sasuke's lips tilt upward in a small smirk... testament to his knowledge of what this previously did to Itachi.

Rather feminine hands fly quickly up to Deidara's mouth as he muffles a gasp, his previous blush only darkening, and as if sensing his own pent up sexual frustration at the erotic scene, a stream of blood begins to spurt from his nose.

In response, Itachi swiftly pulls the beads out of Sasuke, before throwing them carelessly across the room. His hands grip Sasuke's hips roughly, pulling the boy's body down to meet his throbbing erection before thrusting in to him in one fell swoop. His actions instantly earn him a passionate moan from Sasuke.

"Don't do that, Otouto." His voice is calm, yet almost commanding in nature, not seeming at all appropriate for such a heated situation.

"Punish me… Aniki." Sasuke's fingers tighten around the upper parts of his brother's arms, his pleading voice cut off by yet another gasp of pleasure.

Deidara turns on his heel, his face now burning crimson. Not a second passes before he flies through the hall, down the stairs and out the front door, knocking Kisame down in the process. The startled shinobi lands hard on the wooden porch, his eyes set in a glare at the flustered blonde. Sasori merely raises an inquisitive eyebrow at his partner's sudden unusual behavior.

"Let's go Danna! Hm?!" Deidara breathes heavily, his face still flushing crimson.

"Where's the new kid?" Sasori questions, "What's his name?"

He glances towards Kisame.

"I'm not allowed to call him by his name... Itachi's rule." Kisame mutters angrily, as he dusts himself off from his now standing position. _Damn kid's going to ruin my outfit..._

"Hey, that's a bit possessive for a shinobi." Sasori comments evenly, ignoring the blonde as he continues to gaze at Kisame.

Abruptly, Deidara grabs Sasori's wrist, earning a cruel glare from the red head, "I said come on! Hm!"

Sasori swats his hand away, a sneer crossing his lips. "Brat. Don't ever touch me." After a quick once-over of his partner he notices the trail of blood, "What the hell? You ill? Your face is all red and your nose is bleeding."

"I'm fine! Hm! Nothing happened!" Deidara waves his hands defensively, obviously flustered by the sudden line of inquiry.

Sasori raises an eyebrow at the display, a mixture of curiosity and amusement creeping onto his features as a chuckle escapes from his lips. "I'm going to go meet Anonymous then."

Sasori begins to walk towards the front door before Deidara jumps directly in his path, frantically waving his arms for the other to stop.

"NO! NO! Hm! NO!" Deidara pauses, gasping for breath from all the shouting, still tired out from his epic journey down the stairs. Sasori merely glances at him, eyebrows raised, appearing to question the other's sanity.

"You're making me wait, Sasori-danna! I want to go."

Sasori sneers at the blonde, a growl escaping his lips before he shifts his vision towards the still pimped out Kisame. Finally, his interest shifts once more towards the front door, hearing the faintest echo of a scream. Once again, Sasori cocks his brow at the sudden sound. _Is Itachi torturing the new member...?_

"Fucking freaks..." Sasori mutters before turning on his heel, waving his hand casually at Kisame. "Oi. Sorry about the brat, just kill him next time."

Deidara blushes once more, glaring in a rather offended manner at Sasori's back. "I'm not a brat, hm! You should be thanking me, Danna!"

"So… I should be grateful you wasted my time?! You know I hate waiting, you insolent brat!"

Kisame listens to their argument as they disappear from the cavern into the brush. Biting his lip painfully to hold it in, Kisame's gruff laughter finally spills forth, filling the cavern and echoing off the stone walls. He falls to his knees, teary eyed, gripping his sides desperately to keep them from splitting.

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"Come on, it's time for you to meet the other members." Kisame chuckles to me, hurrying me out the door so as not to anger Itachi.

"No! Wait!" I chide happily, pulling Itachi onto the couch next to me.

Itachi resentfully allows me to do so, and he sits on the couch facing me while I cuddle into his lap. I can feel his impatient eyes on me as I look to Kisame, who is watching me strangely.

"Take a picture of us... Please?" I ask Kisame politely. He merely nods in understanding, stepping over to the end table and opening the drawer. After a moment or so of digging inside of it, and some incoherent muttering he pulls out a camera.

Itachi attempts to stand, the annoyance shining in his crimson eyes. But, I defiantly pull him back to the couch. Lacing my slender fingers through his soft, dark hair, I pleadingly tug his face to mine. I stare into the fine porcelain features etched to form the beauty which is Itachi. I gaze adoringly into my Aniki's eyes, touching the tip of my nose to his. The harsh glare from those sharp eyes softens among his placid features, a rare sight indeed. Slowly, he snakes his lithe arms possessively around my thin waist... and a small content smile forms on my lips.

The camera's click echoes through the room, followed by a temporarily blinding flash and the camera spits out the instant photo. Itachi blinks surprised, before irritation forms in his scarlet eyes shining once again from his passive features. He stands abruptly and maneuvers silently to the front door before disappearing out of it.

"Don't mind him... He just hates having his picture taken." Kisame chuckles, handing me the photo.

I nod in understanding, before pulling a marker from the end table. On the back of the photo I scribble out a message before handing it back to him. I stand slowly.

"Give this to Uzumaki Naruto." I ask him sternly, before adding a soft, "Please."

"Who?" Kisame questions in a surprised tone.

"The nine tails kid." I mumble, my voice hushed.

Kisame blinks down at me, a curious look playing across his features. "We're headed to meet with our Leader. There's no time... and I'm not the postal service!" Kisame finishes, his tone holding the hiss of annoyance.

"I'm not asking for express delivery! Just, please, as a favor." My voice is demanding and stern, yet simultaneously pleading.

Kisame falls silent, before nodding in silent understanding as he reads the note on the back. "Come on, it's not good to keep Itachi waiting."

We walk out of the cavern, and Itachi turns to me. His dark hair is sliding across the soft nape of his neck, and he is wearing his classic passive expression free from the flaws of human emotion. I lace my fingers between his, like a lover, only to have Itachi skillfully slip his hand out of mine withdrawing it from my grasp.

As the three of us leave together for the Akatsuki main base, I can only smirk to myself in satisfaction, because that is who Itachi is... and even though he will never openly requit my love, I can read between the thin lines, and I know I am Itachi's... and Itachi is mine as well... all mine, for eternity...

_The thin line between love and hate is sometimes as vast as an ocean. My adoration of our love was tinged with misplaced hate. Or perhaps my hatred for you was justified... But that wasn't what I wanted, and it didn't make me happy. In your arms, I am at peace and have found contentment. Now I'm on the other side of this vast ocean, which I crossed only to drown in... I face what I once was reborn..._

_And I can face you now, aniki..._

_With no regrets or illusions..._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto wakes groggily, rolling onto his side in the uncomfortable hospital bed. It has been over a week since his encounter with Sasuke, yet he still cannot accept what has happened. He stares dejectedly through the clear glass window of his room into the remarkably clear blue sky, hating the chirping sounds of the merry birds outside. _Why... Why did you leave, Sasuke?_

He runs his greasy fingers through the tufts of his disheveled blonde hair. A sigh of longing escapes his lips, as the sunlight glistens against the fine sheen of sweat on his brow. _I wasn't strong enough to save him... I'm still too weak._

Naruto listens with a vague sort of disinterest to Kakashi and Tsunade's conversation outside his door. A profound sorrow grips his heart, pulling him only further into a spiral of deep despair. He squeezes his eyes shut as the anguish seizes him, a tear sliding down his already streaked face. He moves his arm to the table next to the hospital bed using muscle memory to find his glass... Suddenly, his fingertips knock into a rather rough piece of paper. His brow furrows, as he grips the paper and draws it into his lap.

His sapphire eyes open slowly encircled by dark bags of exhaustion. He stares down at the yellow envelope questioningly, it bears his name. Carefully, he tears into it, knocking the contents of it across his bed sheets... A picture. His sweaty fingers discard the envelope, before gripping the picture roughly. He blinks curiously, staring in disbelief at the two forms in the picture.

Sasuke sits curled into Itachi's lap, his fingers threaded into his brother's dark tresses while he stares in adoration into the elder's eyes, and Itachi laces his arms around his little brother's form, a passive yet soft expression worn on his face.

Naruto flips the picture over, reading the short note on the back quickly. A small but content smile forms on his lips. He leans back in the bed, a soft sigh escaping his lips, as he stares merrily out the window, a newfound peace growing inside his heart.

_I'm happy for you Sasuke... I'm happy you finally found contentment and love and..._

Naruto stares out into the clear blue sky, at the unreachable clarity of the dreams that soar above. Knowing he will one day to reach his just as Sasuke did.

_I'm glad you're no longer alone. _

As Kakashi and Tsunade's footsteps approach his hospital room, the short message on the back of the picture replays in his mind...

_Hate is an illusion..._

_My love is for eternity._

**My hatred died in my eclipse,**

**As my love carried me onward, across into infinity...**

**You and me, aniki...**

**Eternity.**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**The End**_

A/N: Yes, this is the last chapter! So I hope you guys enjoyed the ending! Please review and let me know what you think.

Just a side note, the note Sasuke wrote on the back was only the Italicized words "Hate is an illusion, my love is for eternity." The bold words is just Sasuke's thoughts at the end. The bold print was more or less Sasuke saying that hatred is the equivalent of death cause it lead to his downfall, but his love for his aniki is what gave him new life. His final thought is that their love is so strong, it could even carry them across into the afterlife binding them together for eternity.

So Sasuke eventually came to the conclusion that the real illusion was hatred, which blinds people from reality, not love or sentiment like Itachi believes.

Anyways, strangely enough, my fav part about the chapter actually has nothing to do with SasuIta... It is where Deidara catches them and then when he argues with Sasori. lol. I was bored and became comical...

And now for the part that was edited out of the Deidara X Sasori scene. Souji edited it out, and then I edited it back in... only to question it before posting, so I edited it back out as well:

Abruptly, Deidara grabs Sasori's wrist, earning a cruel glare from the red head, "I said come on! Hm!"

Sasori swats his hand away, a sneering his lips back to reveal ivory teeth. "Rude brat. Don't ever touch me." After a quick once-over of his partner, he notices the trail of blood. "What the hell? You ill? your face is all red and your nose is bleeding..." Sasori's eyes trail down to Deidara's palms, "Your hand-mouths have nose bleeds... and that doesn't even make sense."

... I thought it was funny. pout But my friends who I let read it before posting told me it wasn't (this is not counting Souji... I don't know why he edited it out cause he didn't say... probably to keep Sasori in character I would imagine) and that I should keep it out.

Mindless Fun With the Akatsuki XXXXXXXXXX The Meeting

Pein (Leader): Fellow Akatsuki members, welcome to the meeting. I would like to introduce our newest member, Sasuke, who will be paired with Itachi and Kisame.

Sasuke: Yo

Everyone else: Hi

Pein: Now, first item up for business is the issue of nail polish. I understand some of you are unhappy with the color purple.

Hidan: _I_ think it should be red, like the color of _blood_! Jashin likes blood.

Kakuzu: I've been in this organization since pratically the beginning! I say it stays the traditional purple!

Deidara: Red is too feminine, Hm.

Sasori: ... thinks to self: With that hair you're worried about being girly?

Zetsu: How about green? It's earthy.

Kisame: Blue is better, like the ocean.

Sasuke: ... Are we really discussing nail polish? ... Whose idea was it for us to paint our nails anyway?

Konan: Mine.

Deidara: It's artistic! Hm!

Sasori: No, it isn't... brat...

Pein: The color violet stays, do I have a second.

Konan: I second the motion.

Kakuzu: I second it, as well.

Sasori: thinks: then it isn't a second, morron, it's a third.

Pein: Then it is settled! The polish stays violet!... What do you think Itachi? You haven't said anything this whole time.

Itachi: ... It's weak... Why is it so weak... It's because... Our toe nails aren't painted!

Pein: Hmm... good point. From now one, every Akatsuki member will have painted toe nails as well.

Akatsuki pulls out nail polish and begins painting nails

Sasuke spreading toes with spacers: So anyways, Kisame and I were shopping for clothes, and we saw this _adorable _shirt, but it was a hundred dollars!!

Kisame buffing nails for polishing: yeah, a hundred bucks for silk.

Itachi painting toe nails violet: That's brutal...

Konan removing previous polish: Oh, what color was it?

Kisame: Blue, of course.

Deidara while buffing nails for polish : Does this black cloak make me look fat?

Sasori while applying a clear, protective coat to his wooden painted nails : No! No! Of course not!

Itachi blowing on nails to dry them: You should try pin stripes. It draws the eyes down.


End file.
